A Reason to Smile Again
by AnimeDrummer
Summary: What if Yuya almost forgot how to smile? Or his self-conflict was almost unbearable for those around him? This is the Arc-V series rewritten with multiple OOC's including Yuya. Second Yu-Gi-Oh! story. Disclaimer!
1. The First Pendulum Summon

This is going to be a different version of Arc-V. Same characters, original subbed names for now, but if you want me to use the English character names let me know, but I'll be using the TCG names of all the cards. The biggest difference is an OOC Yuya. His dad's disappearance made more of an impact than on the show. He's still an entertainer, but has trouble smiling. I won't cover everything that happens on the show, and I may mix up a few things, for example, certain characters might have different personalities besides Yuya. I much prefer the use of 'effect' rather than 'ability' in the English versions, to be honest. And with Teletoon airing the English version, this'll be a bit easier to pull off to get the English names of all the Action Cards. Shippers be warned, Yuya and Yuzu have a secret relationship! Let's get into it.

 **Chapter One: The First Pendulum Summon**

The setting, nightfall. Flower petals scattered in the calm breeze. Two best friends in a heated Duel. One, Noboru Gongenzaka, large physique and a pompadour. Another, Yuya Sakaki, scattered multicolored hair wearing goggles above his eyes, a necklace and a somewhat cape. One side of the field, two Machine-Type monsters. The large friend about to make his next move.

"I tribute Superheavy Samurai Swordsman and Superheavy Samurai Blue Brawler." said Gongenzaka. "Now I summon in Defense Mode, my ace monster! Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei! Okay, Yuya. I set up my field. Now show the man what you've got!"

"Ladies and Gentleman!" Yuya shouts. Sitting atop his lone monster, he springs up in the moonlight. "I activate my Quick-Play Spell, Hippo Carnival! It's showtime!" Three holographic Vegas-clad hippos appear.

"What are ya doin'? This is supposed to be a real match!" Gongenzaka sounds annoyed.

"Ugh! Take this seriously, Yuya!" A girl who's been Yuya's closest friend, now his secret girlfriend, Yuzu Hiragi accidentally sets sparks throughout the Duel System. She jumped up looking concerned.

Suddenly, her dad, the school principal came in. "What's happening, Yuzu?"

"Oh, just a slight malfunction..."

"That's not good! Our school depends on us being able to produce entertaining Duels!" Shuzo exclaimed. Just then in the middle of Yuya's spectacle, the Augmented Duel imagery shorted out, leaving the Duel unfinished. And Yuya crashed onto the floor. A young boy visiting the school wondered if he was all right. The aspiring Duelist quickly recovers with a funny face. (Instead of the one on the show, I envisioned him doing the face Toon Summoned Skull did in the original series. So much funnier.)

 **Afterwards**

Shuzo, Yuzu, Gongenzaka and Yuya all recovering from the Duel gather in the break room.

"This is a disaster! At this rate, You Show Duel School's reputation will be shot through the tubes!" Skip yelled.

"Man, I was really into it too. I haven't haven't felt good like that in a long time." said Yuya. "How exactly did our Duel System get shot down?"

"That does it, Yuya!" Yuzu angrily shouted. "You just haven't been yourself, it's frustrating!"

Yuya evades but bumps into Gong. "Hey, did someone put a wall in here?" He had a bit of a frown, but wasn't anywhere near sad.

"Yuya, listen. For the past three years, you haven't been the Yuya we grew up with." said the larger friend. "When your old man went missing, it's like your smile went missing with him. You know as well as anyone how he'd always have the crowd cheering for more in each match he was in. And now you have an obligation to do what he did, but it seems like you're not even tying!"

"Look, it's true things have been different since Dad disappeared, but I'm still determined to be as amazing as he was, even if I can't smile all the time."

Then, one colorful individual enters. "Hello, all. Hope I'm not interrupting." he said as he walked up.

"Who are you?" Shuzo asked.

"I'm Nico Smiley, Dueling manager and promoter. I'm here on behalf of Strong Ishijima, the current Action Duel champion."

"Ishijima?" Yuya was filled with angst at the thought of the name.

"He's hosting a Fan Appreciation Day at the Leo Duel School and he's asked personally for a one-on-one Duel with Yuya. This is the chance you've always wanted!" Smiley turned toward Yuya. "You can finally make up for your father's disappearance three years ago. I assume you still remember?"

"Yeah, I remember..."

"Now that you're fourteen years old, you can face him. The son of Yusho Sakaki saves his father's reputation. It may also promote publicity for your school."

It may not have been a smile, but a smirk like that was as close as it was gonna get "I'll do it!"

"Yuya! What are you trying to prove? If you face this head on, that crowd will tear you apart!" Shuzo shouted.

Yuya was infuriated. "Look, Principal. I know you just looking out for me... but this is my decision to make, got that?! I've gotten the short end of the stick from people for three freakin' years. I'm fed up with it! Besides, only four students a school doesn't make. (Yuya, Yuzu, Ayu, and Futoshi) Nico, you tell your Champion I'll be there." The prodigal son started walking.

"Where are you headed in such a rush, dear boy?" Nico wondered.

"I just need to get ready." Yuya smirked as he dashed ahead.

"Why can't he understand what I'm doing for him?!" Shuzo sounded frustrated himself. Only to be smacked by a white fan held by Yuzu.

"Look, Dad. I know you're upset about this, but like Yuya said, he's wished for this for so long..."

"Most of the spectators are those that stayed loyal to his father even after he went missing. It shouldn't be that hard on him. And the Institute is willing to donate a new state of the art Duel Combat System to your school, free of charge." Nico added.

"Still, for Yuya's well being, he's had it pretty rough. Gongenzaka, what do you think?" Yuzu chimed in.

"We've had each other's backs this far, guess I have no choice either." said Gongenzaka.

With that, Yuya had enough time to regather his thoughts before heading to his exhibition match. With his goggles over his eyes as opposed to above and pendulum in hand, he began to remember what it was like with his dad before that fateful event.

 **At the LDS stadium**

The place was packed. Nico at the center of it all, ready to make the big announcement.

"Welcome, one and all to the Duel of the Decade! Three years ago, the legendary Dueltainer Yusho Sakaki was unable to defend his championship title. Now Sakaki's own son, Yuya, will fight on his behalf! Now, to set the field! Activating the Field Spell, Castle of Chaos!"

The Duel System located beneath the Stadium lit up, producing the Action Field.

"This ARC technology is really something else. To the spectators, they seem like holograms, but adding mass to Solid Vision makes the images as real as ever!" Nico looks up. ' _They're here._ ' "Now please join me in welcoming our Duelists for today's match. Introducing the current Action Duel Champion. Three years and still solid as as rock, Strong Ishijima!"

The crowd sure went off. The Sledgehammer stood there lost in his thoughts.

"Shame, really. I was hoping by challenging the kid, Yusho would've come out of hiding. I have to defeat him to show I'm the true Champion!" But what he didn't realize was his unwavering opponent. People's words advising him to see behind him. Yuya pulls off his funny face from earlier.

"What's a clown doing here?" asked Ishijima.

"Not just any clown, look familiar?" as Yuya made his big reveal.(Team Rocket style)

" _You're_ Yusho's son?"

"Of course I am. Now let's get this Duel started."

Smiley was astounded. "Unbelievable! His challenger has already appeared! Give it up for Yuya Sakaki!"

All the spectators were amped Yuya showed up when he did. The others from the school, as well as one other who had just arrived, but was waiting to make herself known were the only ones not surprised.

"At least he made it all right." said Gongenzaka.

"But can he win?" Yuzu asked.

"It's Yuya's determination that might be deciding factor." The mystery woman appeared.

"Yoko?" Shuzo seemed surprised.

"Did you really think I was gonna miss this?"

Yuya and Ishijima were simply trying to see what the other would do. Both Duelists charge up their Disks. "All right, show me just how tough you really are." said Yuya.

"Such big talk for a kid. I'll just crush any chances you have of winning in no time." the Champion replies.

"My, my. Sparks are already flying and the Duel hasn't even started yet." said Nico. "Okay, both players, draw your starting hand of five cards." Yuya and Ishijima started off with five cards. "Duelists locked in combat! Kicking up the dust from the ground and taking to the skies! Their monsters storm the Field! The greatest evolution of Dueling has arrived! Action...!" His arm extends upwards...

" **Duel!** " Both players shout. Nico's snap cause the bright lights above to break into the field's scattered Action Cards.

"All right, I'll let you go first. Just remember, the starting player can't draw on the first turn."

"Okay, showtime!" Yuya began his 'performance'. "Ladies and gentleman! For my first move, I'll have to make a stellar getaway." He grabs the zipline and slides down. "And to help with that, I summon Performapal Hip Hippo." (ATK: 800) The hippo appears and Yuya lands. "Okay, time for some hide and seek." they both take off into the trees.

"Hide and seek, is it? Fine, then! I draw!" The Champion looked over his cards and decided his first move. "I activate the Spell Card, Feast of the Wild LV5! With it, I can summon 2 Level 5 Warrior-Type monsters from my hand. I summon Swamp Battlegaurd (ATK: 1800) and Lava Battleguard! (ATK: 1550) But now, I'll tribute them both for my strongest monster! I summon Battleguard King! (ATK: 3000) Now I attack!"

Yuya reveals a hidden Action Card. "I've got something for that. I active the Action Spell, Evasion. This negates your attack. Rolling Hippo!"

Ishijima seemed surprised. "Seems you know to use Action Cards, all right. But that won't be enough! With Battlegaurd King effect, I can attack twice in a turn! Attack Hip Hippo again!"

"That had to hurt. Battleguard King flattened... What's this?" Nico exclaimed.

"What, again!?"

"I barely made it out. Just before your attack, I activated the Action Spell, Miracle. My monster isn't destroyed and I only take half the damage."

LP: 4000 - 2900

"You won't last much longer. I set one card and and my turn."

Back in the spectator's section, Shuzo decided to ask something. "Okay, Yoko, fess up. You know something's wrong. Yuya's different out there."

"I might know what it is. The way I see it, he's still coping with what happened three years ago. Dueling seems to be only thing keeping him going. Yuya always knew people looked down on him. But it's okay, because he hasn't lost his smile completely. He's trying to revive his father's legacy, and maybe even completely take his place in his absence."

The others wondered why Yuya didn't tell them all that sooner, especially Yuzu. She knew Yuya could always talk to her, but maybe it was too much for her to handle? Noboru knew his best friend was broken back then, but wondered if Yuya picked up _all_ the pieces yet.

"Okay, my turn." Yuya sees one of his best monsters. "Okay, this is it. I'll use Hip Hippo's effect. If he's tributed, he counts as 2 monsters." They go over the ledge. "Now I tribute Hip Hippo to summon..." A red dragon with shining eyes appeared. "Our star attraction, Odd-Eyes Dragon!" (ATK: 2500)

The rising star landed atop Odd-Eyes. "The fun's just getting started!"

"Yeah! His dad's catchphrase! Kid's on fire!" Shuzo shouted with such excitement.

' _You've been waiting for this, Yuya. Win this for your dad._ ' Yoko looked with anticipation.

"Just because you used **his** catchphrase doesn't make up for him being too scared to face me!" Ishijima shouted.

Yuya was infuriated. "He wasn't scared and neither am I! If he _had_ shown up, he'd have won. And by using his moves, that's what I'll do!"

"You're free to try, but my ace monster has 3000 Attack Points while your ace only has 2500!"

"That's true, but not after I play this. The Spell Card, Wonder Balloons."

"Simply amazing! Yuya's quickly sending Action cards to the Graveyard!" said Smiley.

Three balloons emerged and latch onto Battleguard King. "I sent three cards to the Graveyard, resulting in three balloons and for each one your monster loses 1000 points for the turn." The balloons blew up and Battleguard King's Attack Points became 0.

"You can only hold one Action Card at a time. I get it, you weren't running randomly, you were looking for many Action Cards as possible so you could use them right away."

"About time you figured it out."

The crowds were ecstatic for the amazing duel. Yuya suddenly knew what he had to do.

' _The crowd, the cheers, the excitement! This must be how Dad felt!_ ' Odd-Eyes, let's send the Champion out in style! Its effect is when it destroys a monster deals half of the destroyed monster's original Attack Points as damage! Attack Battleguard King! Spiral Flame!"

Odd-Eyes' fire reached its target causing a giant explosion. However...

"I also had an Action Spell in reserve. Now _I_ activate Miracle!" the Champion revealed.

LP: 4000 - 2750

"As expected of a Pro! Ishijima holds his ground against Yuya's devastating attack!" Nico exclaims.

"You stand no chance, this is as far as your father's Dueling will get you! I activate Battleguard Rage! After taking damage, my monster gains 2000 Attack Points!" (ATK: 2000)

"I'll end my turn." Yuya announced.

"End Phase, Battleguard King regains its lost Attack Points." (ATK: 5000)

"5000 Points?! How's Yuya going to win now?" Yuzu freaked out.

"My turn. You won't survive! Battleguard King attacks Odd-Eyes Dragon!"

Yuya reached for another Action Card, but couldn't get it when Battleguard King's attack hammered Odd-Eyes.

LP: 2900 - 400

"Battleguard Rage's effect returns your destroyed monster to your your hand before it hits the Graveyard. Now I'll activate Battlrguard Magic. Half your monster's Attack Points are added to my Life Points."

LP: 2750 - 4000

"Battleguard King can only attack twice if there's another monster on the opponent's field. I'll just put one card face-down and end my turn. What'll you do, fight or run?"

' _Who am I kidding? I only have a hand filled with Monster Cards. But for some reason, I don't feel like backing out._ ' "I'm staying right here!" Yuya's necklace started glowing. "Let's see if you're right, Dad. If the pendulum swings one way, it's guaranteed to swing the other way! I draw!"

Just then, three of Yuya's monsters were glowing. Two Spellcaster-Type monsters were slightly changed by the glow, and Odd-Eyes Dragon became an entirely different card. At the same time, Yuya didn't realize what would happen next.

"I use Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale!" Just then, the two magicians came up through bright lights stopping in midair, and beneath both of them a number appeared.

"Now I can summon monsters from Level 2 through 7! Swing, pendulum! Bring forth the arc of light! It's come down to this. I Pendulum Summon!" A giant hole between the two magicians with a larger scale of Yuya's necklace revolving around it shoots out three bright lights going downwards.

"Performapal Whip Snake! (ATK: 1700) Performapal Sword Fish! (ATK: 600) And Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" (ATK: 2500) Everyone was at a complete standstill. No one knew what to think of this. Except Yuya, who was certain he was about to end the Duel right there.

Ishijima was questioning the young boy's ground breaking move. "How is it possible? He summoned three monsters at the same time. There's no way he should be able to do that."

"I'm baffled, too, but there would have been an error otherwise." said Smiley.

"Just what is this Pendulum Summon?"

"I use Whip Snake's effect! Once per turn, I can swap the Attack and Defense Points of any monster. (ATK: 1100) Next, Sword Fish's effect! Reducing the opponent's monsters Attack points by 600!" (ATK: 500) Yuya sounded much more dominant and courageous.

Whip Snake's tail gave off a hypnotizing vibe as Sword Fish became many and surrounded Battleguard King.

"What's this? Ishijima's monster's completely vulnerable! It's Attack Points were gravely reduced from 5000 to a mere 500." Nico shouted.

"Battle! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Battleguard King!" Yuya declared.

"Won't happen! I activate the Trap, Battleguard Howling! Your monster is sent to your hand and you take damage equal to its Attack Points!" Ishijima countered.

"I'll use Timegazer Magician's Pendulum Effect! If a Pendulum Monster is targeted by an opponent's Trap Card, I can negate it. Infinite Gear Reversal!"

"Well, then I activate the Action Spell, Evasion!"

"Now I get to use Stargazer Magician's Pendulum Effect! Negating any Spell Card that targets a Pendulum Monster when I attack. Halted Horoscope!"

"Damn, there's nothing I can do!"

"It's time to end this! I'll send both of them out with a bang! Go, Odd-Eyes! Spiral Strike Burst!"

"I'll still be in this next turn!"

"For you there is no next turn! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect activates! When it destroys an opponent's monster Level 5 or higher, it deals double the damage! Reaction Force!" Odd-Eyes glowed red on one side and green on the other as the flames intensified, ending the game.

LP: 4000 - 0

"The... End."

The holographic imagery faded as the game was decided. Just then, Yuya felt like he was coming out of a trance. He looked around and saw the empty Action Field. "Huh, what happened? Ishijima? What about the Duel?"

"You did it." Yuya hears someone.

"You really beat Strong Ishijima in your dad's place. Great job, Yuya." said Yoko.

"That was incredible!" Yuzu shouted.

"You had everyone on the edge, very nice!" Noboru supported his friend.

"Going above and beyond the call, we have a new star student!" Shuzo was the most surprised.

The crowds didn't know what to think, but were all ecstatic of the outcome.

Nico Smiley rushed up to greet Yuya."Bravo! Excellent! Congratulations! Yuya, you simply must tell us about the new Summoning method you debuted in today's match."

"New... method?" Yuya seemed out of the loop. Did he really discover a new style of summoning? Maybe the others could shed some light on this matter.

I know I used a bit of episode 2 in the first chapter, but some duels that are two parters will make up one chapter. I have plans to continue, and have high hopes for this project. I've even taken mental notes of how the chapters will be written for the Friendship Cup. Like I stated above, just let me know if I should keep the original character names or if I should switch them. Peace out everybody!


	2. A New Student

Well, I got some time so I decided to write the next chapter. Also I'm happy to answer the guest reviewer's question. Yugo will be referring to Rin as his girlfriend as they're the Commons' top power couple among duelists. Yuto might be more determined than Shun to rescue Ruri, maybe because of love? Even Shun considers them to be best friends. As for Yuri and Selena, I'm not sure what to do about them yet. This will pick up where we left off in the second half of Episode 2. Just a heads up, The duel with Sawatari might be one joined chapter, but the duel with Sora will remain two parts. With that said, let's get back into it.

 **Chapter Two: A New Student**

From the highest point of the Leo Corporation, a mysterious figure walks up to a series of screens.

"CEO Akaba... We have the information you requested." a gruff voice calls out. "His name is Yuya Sakaki. Age 14. His win-loss record is 20-18."

"Roughly over 50%? Where does he learn to duel?" the president asked.

"It seems to be You Show Duel School located somewhere in the city."

"Wait, I know that place."

"It seems he's the Legendary Duelist, Yusho Sakaki's son."

"His son? I'm to understand that the son of the Action Duel Pioneer who vanished three years ago discovered a revolutionary method of summoning? Nakajima, find out anything you can about him. Anything could be a hint as to learn more about Pendulum Summon."

In a short time, things the Duel School have hectic. Ayu and Futoshi walked up to see all the observers. Wondering where everyone was coming from, they asked Yuzu and Noboru.

"Yuzu, what's with all these people here?" asked Ayu.

"Ayu, Futoshi, you made it. Well, all these people are here for today's demo between me and Yuya." said Yuzu.

"I still can't believe the way Yuya won. That new Pendulum Summon was fantastic. Shivers!" Futoshi cheered.

"Don't worry about a thing. We'll handle things on the outside, you focus on today's game." said Gongenzaka.

"Great. Oh, hey aren't you...?" She sees a familiar face.

The demo was about to begin. Yuya and Yuzu stood in the center ready for what would happen. Shuzo made the announcement.

"Okay, people, this is it. The Duel you came here for. Now to set the stage for our two brightest players! Burning heat!" Shuzo shouted.

"Okay, here goes. Activating the Field Spell, Plain Plane!" Gongenzaka got the green light for his friends' field to generate.

"Ready, Yuzu?" Yuya asked.

"More than ready! At least _try_ to smile, will ya?"

"Duelists locked in combat!"

"Kicking up the dust from the ground and taking to the skies!"

"Their monsters storm the Field!"

"The greatest evolution of Dueling has arrived!"

"Action...!" The glowing circle separated into multiple cards spread over the plains.

" **Duel!** "

"I'll go first! I summon Performapal Hip Hippo." (ATK: 800) Yuya made the first play off to a decent start. "Okay, your turn."

"All right, draw. I summon Aria the Melodius Diva." (ATK: 1600) the girl announced. "Now, Aria. Attack Hip Hippo!"

Yuya was able to spot an Action Card. "I activate Evasion. Rolling Hippo!"

"I use Aria's effect! When she's unable to attack an opponent's monster, she deals 800 damage." Aria's soundwave targets Yuya.

LP: 4000 - 3200

"Okay, I'm done, Yuya."

"Nice. My turn, I draw!" The boy looks over his cards and spots he has Pendulum Cards. ' _Okay, I have two Pendulum Cards, so that means I can pull off a Pendulum Summon. Just wish I remember how I did it the first time. From what everyone said, I just have to set the scale with two cards then summon monsters from my hand at the same time._ ' "It's worth a shot! I use Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 4 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon... to set the Pendulum Scale!"

Two pillars of bright light appeared like last time, with the two monsters, each on one side with a number beneath them."Get fired up! Yeah! Do it, Yuya! Pendulum!" Shuzo was really heated up.

"Let's see how you deal with this. Pendulum Summon!" A large hole opened and two lights shot through. "Performapal Sword Fish (ATK: 600) and Performapal Whip Snake!" (ATK: 1700)

"All right, you did it! Pretty impressive, Yuya." the young girl was happy for her closest friend.

"Well, to be honest, I didn't really know what I was doing. I just happened to have two of my new Pendulum Cards in my hand." That caused some suspicion among the spectators.

"What do you mean, are you not sure how Pendulum Summon works?"

"That aside, Yuzu, let's keep the fun times coming!" Yuya couldn't help but laugh. "I activate Whip Snake's effect! I'm able to swap Aria's Attack and Defense Points." (ATK: 1200)

"Now Sword Fish's effect. Aria loses another 600 Attack Points!" (ATK: 600)

"Oh, man! Aria's not looking too good!" Yuzu seemed worried.

"Hip Hippo, attack Aria!"

"I activate the Action Spell, Evasion. This negates your attack. Wanna try again?"

"Yeah, I do! Whip Snake, attack Aria!" Yuya shouted.

Yuzu leaped out from under a tree. "Here's another Action Spell, Miracle! Aria cant be destroyed and the damage is halved."

LP: 4000 - 3450

"Looks like you paid attention during my exhibition match. That's the same thing I did! You're doing great!"

"It's no surprise. We've been dueling for years and we've been friends longer. Looks like your turn's over, right?"

"Turn End."

"Okay, I draw! Since I have a Melodius monster on my field, I can Special Summon Sonata the Melodius Diva." (ATK: 1600) Now I tribute both my monsters! I can now summon my strongest monster! Mozarta the Melodius Maestra! (ATK: 2600) I Activate Mozarta's effect when summoned, I can Special Summon another Melodius in my hand. I summon another Aria. Looks like it's over. Aria, attack Hip Hippo!"

LP: 3200 - 2400

"Now, the finish! Maestra, attack Sword Fish! (Now I know I'm risking a bit here by making an exclusive card, but I had to have Yuzu win like on the show.) I activate my final Action Spell, Light Boost! This grants a monster an extra 500 Attack Points!" (ATK: 3100)

"What? Man, I lose."

"Graceful Wave!" An infinity symbol shaped burst of wind lifted Yuya off the ground as crashed on the ceiling and landed in a tree.

LP: 2400 - 0

"It's decided! Our winner is Yuzu Hiragi!" Her dad exclaimed.

"Yuya, what happened out there?" she wondered.

"Not sure, guess I just froze up."

"Yuya, Yuzu, that was a great match!"

"Hey, it's you."

"You know him?" Yuya seemed puzzled.

"This is Tatsuya Yamashiro. He's been visiting our school for the past few days."

"I couldn't help but overhear something about how you used your Pendulum Cards." said Tatsuya.

"Well, I didn't know what else to call them. Seems to me Pendulum Cards are all monsters."

"Here, let us have a look." said Yuzu.

"These are my three Pendulum Cards." Yuya stated.

"Two magicians and a dragon? So, you need Pendulum Cards to pull off a Pendulum Summon? Seems you're the only one who has these." the younger boy said.

"My guess is the Leo Corporation is working on making new Pendulum Monsters after my match against the Champion."

Just then, the three were barraged by negative remarks, assuming Yuya fixed the Duel and calling him out being as chicken as his old man. It would be the assumption considering only he had access to Pendulum Monsters. Tatsuya had enough he wasn't going to take anyone insulting a great Duelist like Yuya.

"I've heard enough! Yuya wouldn't do anything like that! I was in the Stadium watching the match, and I can say for myself he did beat Ishijima. My guess is that you only wanted to attend to learn Pendulum Summon without caring about what Dueling is really about! If you're just fair weather fans, this is the wrong school. Now, everyone, get out!" Taysuya said what he felt had to be said, and was happy he could defend Yuya. The other hopeful applicants left, heads down in defeat.

Just then, Yuya heard a voice. "Yuya?"

"What is it, Tatsuya?"

"Please let me enroll here. I may not be a great Duelist yet, but I still wanna challenge you even if I have to wait for the Leo Corporation to use Pendulum Cards, so when I improve, how about you finally face me?"

"It's a deal! Brush up as much as you can, and I'll work hard to learn everything about Pendulum Monsters. I look forward to when we finally duel, Tatsuya." Yuya felt a hand land on his back, hard.

"Nicely said, Yuya. Accepting a fan's challenge without a moment's hesitation is the mark of a real man!" said Gongenzaka.

"Fan? Tatsuya?"

"Ever since you discovered Pendulum Summon and wowed the crowd with it, he's been wanting to face you." said Ayu.

"He's may be inexperienced like us, but he still knows a lot more than any Junior player." said Futoshi.

"It's okay with us. Welcome!" Yuzu shouted.

"New student? Yeah! Intense heat! Burning! We did it, everyone!" Shuzo was as overexcited as usual.

"What now, Yuya?" the large friend asked.

"Not much else to do. If I'm gonna be able to Pendulum Summon, and actually know what I'm doing, I need someone to face off with!" Yuya's smirk left an impression.

"It may not be the smile you lost, but it'll do." Yuzu added.

"What do you mean?" asked Tatsuya.

"You see, three years ago, Yuya's dad; this school's founder disappeared before an important match. Now Yuya can't smile without Dueling because of what people have been doing to him."

"Your mom told us that you're working hard to restore your dad's name or possibly replace him as this city's Legendary Duelist. I, the man, can say you've got what it takes!" said Noboru.

"And now you have the tools to make others smile. Just like last time! Go for it!" the young fan exclaimed.

"Now who's first?" Yuya asked. The aspiring entertainer knew he had his work cut out for him trying to figure out his new summoning without the feeling of the trance he was in before. However, little did he realize, he was being targeted by another Duelist who's also interested in Pendulum Summon.

"So, I just have to find a way to lure Yuya in my sights, and strike while the iron's hot. Then I'll stand alone at the top over all other LDS students."

Okay, that's another one done. Hopefully, not too many people will be sore about me making an exclusive Action Spell. I've already planned out how the next chapter will play out and I'll get right on it. Be sure to stick around for more. Peace out everybody!


	3. A Scheme in the Shadows

Looks like I'm answering another guest question. Yuya believes the Leo Corporation is producing Pendulums, and is aware even though he was the first one to use them, he knows in time others will use them, too. So he feels obligated to learn as much about them as possible if anyone asks him for lessons on them, especially his new protoge, Tatsuya. I made quite a few more changes this time, especially a particular OOC I'm hoping everyone likes.

 **Chapter Three: A Scheme in the Shadows**

Yuya and Yuzu were walking out toward the school gate. Considering what Yuya must be going through with the discovery of Pendulum Monsters, she figured he could use a breather after he finally learned how to pull it off. Hand in hand, they waited til there werent a lot of people before heading out.

"You seemed like you were about to doze off in the middle of class. You sure youre all right?" the decorated girl asked.

"It just took me so long to finally get the hang of using my new magicians, but I'm ready to give a demonstration." Yuya replied.

"I'm sure the others will be happy to see that." Then, they were approached by Tatsuya. Just then, the secret couple had to seperate hands not to raise suspicion.

"How's it goin', Yuya?" said Tatsuya.

"Hey, Tatsuya. You came all the way here?" he asked.

"What about Futoshi and Ayu?" Yuzu wondered.

"They told me they were on their way to the school. Oh yeah, Noboru told me you can Pendulum Summon. Must be nice to do it without feeling like you're in a trance."

"I'll say. What I found out was you can set the scale with two Pendulum Monsters, and depending on the numbered scales on both cards, you can summon monsters whose levels are in between the two scale numbers."

"Okay, so Stargazer and Timegazer have scales of 1 and 8. That means you can summon monsters between Level 2 and 7." Yuzu declared.

Tatsuya's eyes sparkled. "Sounds amazing, you've got to play us when we get there!" the young fan shouted.

"Okay, let's get going." Yuya redirected his vision only to be barraged by oncoming darts.

"Triple bullseye?" Yuzu seemed concerned.

"I assure you, it's no easy feat, even for me."

"And you are...?"

"My bad. Name's Shingo Sawatari. I happen to be an LDS student."

"You're from LDS?" Yuya asked.

"That I am." said Sawatari. "And I know you're Yuya Sakaki. I saw the exhibition match against Strong Ishijima. What _were_ those cards you used to win?"

"My Pendulum Monsters?"

"They certainly seem like rare cards only a champion in the making would have in their posession. I suggest you show me how skilled you really are in a duel against _me_. I have Center Court access today."

"What? LDS Center Court? That's the largest stage in the whole school!"

"Hmm. Sounds good to me." said Yuya.

"Hold on, Yuya. If you're really going through with this, I should go, too." Yuzu intervened.

 **At LDS**

The small gathering had entered the inside. There they saw more aspiring Duelists and the classes the place had that their school simply lacked.

"Nice, this place has Summoning classes of all kinds. Synchro, Xyz, even Fusion." Yuya seemed amazed. Then he noticed another boy looking his way.

"Yuya, Center Court is this way." the blonde boy pointed out.

"This is it?" Yuzu seemed surprised.

"It's just us here, and the stage is LDS voice activated. All I have to do is say the word and the generator will do the rest. First things first, I'll have to see those special cards of yours."

"Okay, then. These are the magicians that can Pendulum Summon." Yuya announced.

Sawatari's eyes seemed slanted as he put his scheme into action. "Seems like we're ready. After I beat you, I can officially add your cards to my deck!"

" _Your_ deck? I'll beat you even without them!" the rising star shouted.

"Just to make things fair, here." Sawatari drooped some cards. "You can choose any cards you want to substitute your two missing magicians. Not that it'll matter anyway."

Yuya looks down and sees a monster that caught his eye. ' _Block Spider?_ '

As his real fan, Tatsuya spoke up attempting to accept their captor's challenge in his place. "Hold on, face me instead!"

"What? And you are...?" the blonde sneered.

"A rising star among Junior Duelists and Yuya's biggest fan, Tatsuya Yamashiro."

"Just a moment, Tatsuya. I'm not sure you could win." Yuzu added.

"I may be slightly inexperienced, but I know this game inside and out. Besides, this is one of those moments where the fan steps up in place of the star." the boy was driven by determination.

"That's not it. This is advanced Solid Vision, as in the real thing, not the cushiony surface kids are more used to. Someone your age may not be ready for it. "

"It's fine, Yuzu, Tatsuya. I'm ready for anything. Let's get this over with." Yuya calls out his opponent.

"Well then, activating the Field Spell, Prison Tower of Darkville!" The underground holo system produced a night-fallen sky and roads with two towers surrounded by water.

"Duelists locked in combat!" he started.

"Kicking up the dust from the ground and taking to the skies!" Yuzu continued.

"Their monsters storm the Field!" Tatsuya chimed in.

"The greatest evolution of Dueling has arrived! Action...!" Yuya wrapped it up.

" **Duel!** " The Action Cards were spread out.

"I'm up first. I summon Performapal Whip Snake." (ATK: 1700) Whip Snake stretched onward carrying Yuya across landing on a wide bridge, and he breaks for it. "Your turn!"

"All right, I draw!" Sawatari looked over the cards he had. He noticed Timegazer Magician. But suddenly thought of something. ' _Okay If i have one magician, I still need the other in order to Pendulum Summon. But for now..._ ' "I summon Lightning Hoverboard."(ATK: 1400)

Yuya looks over while crossing the bridge and sees... "Ha! An Action Card." He goes for it. "What? A Trap Card?"

"That's the Action Trap, Break Shot. It reduces one of your monster's Attack Points by 900." (ATK: 800) "Shame, really. You should know that Action Cards can be both Spells _and_ Traps. Lightning Hoverboard attacks Whip Snake!"

"Another one!" Yuya was instantly bummed out "Another trap?"

Sawatari knew he would enjoy this game. "Another Action Trap, Jump Shot. This will reduce Whip Snake's Attack Points by another 400." (ATK: 400) "And the attack resumes." Sparks zap Yuya's snake.

LP: 4000 - 3000

"That's only the the beginning. I'll end my turn."

Yuzu looked ahead, looking quite worried. "Yuya, hang in there. Tatsuya, where are you?"

Meanwhile, Tatsuya was running around the walkways trying to avoid the water and lend his icon a hand. "Yuzu, Yuya, where'd ya go?"

"Tatsuya."

"Yuzu?"

"Up here. I can see you." the girl called out.

"Whaa-How'd that happen? It looks a bit tall for me to climb." Tatsuya stood still.

"Quick, try and find Yuya. It should be his turn."

"Fine, just try not to move from there. Yuya hasn't given up yet, and neither should we."

"You're right."

"My turn, then. I draw." Yuya felt like he was at wit's end. He had only one card he could use. "If i can't reach them by land, I'll have to go by sea. I'm not sure who' I"ll find, but I've find someone ASA now. I summon Performapal Skeeter Skimmer." (ATK: 500) "That'll do. Turn End." Yuya sets out.

"Draw. This was fun, but this will be the end of it. I activate Tribute Trade! If I tribute Lightning Hoverboard, I can add 1 monster to my hand that's one Level higher. I'll choose Stargazer Magician."

"Stargazer? You still need Timegazer to pull it off." the decorated boy called out.

"I'm well aware, Yuya. That's why I was prepared. I already have Timegazer in hand."

"Both of them?" Yuzu and Tatsuya were surprised. Tatsuya had just arrived on the bridge where Yuya was previously While Yuzu was still atop that center tower.

"Yuzu, I see him, there on the water!" he yelled.

"Right there! Where are you now?"

"On the bridge, but that's the least of our problems. Haven't you heard? Yuya's about to have his Pendulum Cards used against him."

"Yeah, I heard. Yuya can still find a way out of it." Yuzu declared.

"Now that everyone's together, let's get this over with. I use Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuya couldn't believe it. He knew other people would have access to Pendulum Monsters, but not like this.

"Pendulum Summon!" Three lights shot down, each with a different monster. "Level 5 Power Darts Striker! (ATK: 1500) Level 6 Rocket Darts Striker! (ATK: 1900) Level 7 Ultimate Darts Striker!" (ATK: 2400) He'd done it. He finally did his his own Pendulum Summon.

"Whoa, he pulled it off just like me... Not as flashy as me, but still..." Yuya was astounded.

"Now, I'm gonna finish it!" Sawatari was determined. "Battle! Power Darts Striker, attack Skeeter Skimmer!"

"I activate Skeeter Skimmer's effect! When attacked while in Attack Mode, it negates the attack by switching to Defense Mode." (DEF: 1600)

Tatsuya took a deep breath. "Okay, so he avoided damage, that's good. But Sawatari still has two more monsters."

"Attack, Rocket Darts Striker!" Another series of darts headed for Yuya, and he landed in the water without any defense.

' _It's all right. With this attack, I'll still have Life Points left. Not many, but I'll still be in this._ ' Yuya wasn't about to back down.

"Looks like you're still in for another turn. Oh, well. Ultimate Darts Striker, attack directly!" Three more darts sent Yuya out of the water and crashed against a low nearby wall. Unbeknownst, the collision caused the tower to tilt a little more and the bridge crumbled a bit.

LP: 600

"Turn End."

Then for no reason, Yuya started cracking up. He just let it all out.

"How the hell are you laughing at a time like this?" the blonde angrily shouted.

"Relax, just taking it all in. I know I'm still in and I'm enjoying this no matter who wins. Draw. Look at that. I just got the card that's gonna keep me in the game for another turn. I summon Block Spider." (ATK: 0)

"Block Spider? It's got 0 Attack Points."

"Maybe, but the monster you gave me is about to play a huge role in today's performance." said Yuya.

"So that's the card you took from that pile? It's level was simply too low. Show me you can use as good as anyone else." Sawatari attempted to egg him on.

"Block Spider's effect means no other monsters can be attacked. Seeing as how it's the only monster, I have this. I activate Mimiclay. This'll switch Block Spider to Defense Mode and I can copy any monster on the field." (DEF: 100)

"Okay, I'm guessing you're gonna target one of my monsters?"

"You'd think that, but I've got something better in store. I'll create a second Block Spider!" (DEF: 100)

"What will 2 weak monsters get you?"

"I forgot to mention. Mimiclay even copies the monster's effects. Now, none of your attacks will get through. Block-Lock!" Just by looking at that card, he knew it would come in handy. "I set 2 cards face down and call it a turn."

"Okay, this looks good. It seems like the defense he's put up should last." said Tatsuya. "How are you holding up, Yuzu?"

"I'll be all right. I see you now on top of the bridge."

"Yeah, it was starting to come down."

"Draw. Just because you have that defense doesn't mean you'll win." Sawatari simmered when he heard a mysterious voice.

"It's likely those Pendulum Cards are now Spells. You have a card that can use that to your advantage."

' _These Pendulum Cards are Spells? Okay, this card should work._ ' "I'm gonna activate Cricket Close. In exchange for negating 2 Spells on my field, I can negate any card on your field."

"You sure you have any Spells?" Yuya questioned.

"Guess you didn't realize it, but Pendulum Monsters also count as Spells. I negate both magicians to negate Mimiclay. Now your defense has fallen apart."

"Not quite."

"What do you mean?"

"I play a Quick-Play Spell, Draw Muscle. Selecting a monster with 1000 or less Defense Points, I draw another card. And ,if it's a monster, it's Defense Points are added to Block Spider. Draw! Nice, it's Performapal Kaleidoscorp. Block Spider's Defense get a major increase. How about that?" (DEF: 2400)

The blonde boy was on the brink, think how long he had to put up with this instead of just ending it right there. "How's this for a power play? I tribute Power Darts Striker and Rocket Darts Striker to power up Ultimate Darts Striker. You simply don't have what it takes to compete with and LDS Duelist. Thanks to Power Darts Striker, Ultimate Darts Striker gains 600 Attack Points." (ATK: 3000) "And with Rocket Darts Striker, This attack will deal Piercing Damage. This way your Life Points will be exactly 0! I'll finally crush you here and now! Ultimate Darts Striker attacks!"

The darts closed in both Yuya and Block Spider. The attack went through, except...

"I activate Empty Fishing! Damage from your attack is halved, and I choose 2 cards with negated effects and add them to my hand. I've chosen Stargazer and Timegazer."

LP: 300

But at that moment, the tower and the bridge give way, sending Yuzu and Tatsuya plummeting. With lightning reaction, Yuya sent out his magicians to rescue the others. Timegazer Magician went in low, going for Tatsuya. And Stargazer Magician took the high route catching Yuzu. They returned to where Yuya stood and assumed card form.

"Damn you, that was supposed to be enough to end it! Main Phase 2, Ultimate Darts Striker returns the others to the Field! I'll end it there."

"Hey, as long as youre all right, maybe I can still win." Yuya said glad to see he was able to lend a hand.

"Now that thats over, you should have no problem winning this turn." said Tatsuya.

"Okay, here goes. My turn. Draw." He saw it was another of his new Pendulum Cards. "I'm calling lights out! The fun's just getting started!" Suddenly, not a single light across the entire Action Field except for a few searchlights and a light drum roll.

"This is it, now that Yuya has has magicians, it's happening. Go for a Pendulum Summon, Yuya." Yuzu cheered.

The boy who Yuya saw in the hallway before the game was also watching. "Pendulum! Pendulum!"

"Ladies and Gentleman!" a familiar voice rang out. "If its a Pendulum Summon you came for, you're in the right place. But first we'll need... these two. Now who's ready?"

"We are!" Yuzu, Tatsuya and the mysterious third spectator chimed.

"I use Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale!" Stargazer and Timegazer appeared in his Pendulum Zones this time, and the scale had been set at 1 and 8.

"Now I can summon monsters between Level 2 and 7 at the same time! Swing, pendulum. Bring the arc of light! **Pendulum Summon!** (adding Yuzu and Tatsuya) And here they are!" Three beams of light revealed two new Pendulum Monsters and one the others were familar with. "Level 2 Peformapal Turn Toad! (ATK: 0) Level 6 Peformapal Kaleidoscorp! (ATK: 100) Level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" (ATK: 2500)

"What's with this pitiful lineup? That frog doesn't have any Attack Points, and a Level 6 monster with only 100? The only one that can deal _any_ damage is that dragon."

"The lower Attack Point monsters I'm simply using for their effects. For example, Kaleidoscorp's effect. I choose 1 Pendulum Monster on my field and it can attack as many times as you have monsters on your field. Kaleidolight!"

The Dart Strikers and Odd-eyes started glowing different colors as the night sky lit up."Now my Odd-Eyes can attack all of your monsters once."

"It's like watching a fireworks display. Think I can ask him how he did that?" Tatsuya wondered.

"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Ultimate Darts Striker. Now for its effect; any damage you take is doubled when Odd-Eyes destroys a monster Level 5 or higher."

LP: 4000 - 3800

"That's nowhere near enough." Sawatari remarked.

"Then, lets do it again. Odd-Eyes, attack Rocket Darts Striker. Once again, double damage."

LP: 3800 - 2600

"Okay, now attack Power Darts Striker! Spiraling Strike Burst! And the damage is still..."

"Double!" the others cheered.

"Ah, gimme a break." he hit the dirt trying to avoid falling too far.

LP: 2600 - 1200

"I'll admit you had me for a moment, but there aren't any more monsters that can deal enough damage to win."

"You thinking the same thing?" asked Tatsuya.

"I am. I'm sure there's something he hasn't done yet. We're about to see it up close." Yuzu answered.

"Now, let's welcome our last two performers. I activate Turn Toad effect! I can change Block Spider to Attack Mode and its Attack Points become half its Defense Points." (ATK: 1200)

"This isn't right. I was supposed to finish things." Things were getting riled up for the unsuspecting opponent.

"Okay, my opponent has 1200 life Points left, and my Block Spider has 1200 Attack Points, how many Life points will be left? I assume you know the answer. Block Spider, attack his Life Points directly! The answer is..." The tossed aside monster made the final move.

LP: 1200 - 0

" **Zero!** " The end of the duel was celebrated with web shaped fireworks to add to the color scheme. Then the Center Court was revealed after the holograms faded. Sawatari wasn't having any of it.

"Rrr! Fine, if I can't beat you with your best cards, I'll take them myself!"

Just then, a stray card knocks him clean on the ground. (Yeah, I know I'm having Sora use one of Kaiba's moves.) The others were surprised to see who it was.

"Hey, aren't you...?"

"You know him or something, Yuya?" Yuzu asked.

"Not really. I just saw him for a moment in the hallway before the Duel." he replied.

"Name's Sora. I'm a duelist too."

"Do _you_ go here?" the girl wondered.

"No, I was just checking this place out. I've decided to enroll where your Dueling school is." said Sora.

"Cool. We need more students anyway." said Yuya.

"Nice. Maybe I can pick up a few tips from you, Yuya. I've decided your my new sensei." (I know it's Coach Y in the dub, but because I'm a big Naruto fan, too, It felt right to go with sensei instead.)

"Me? A sensei?"

From an undisclosed location at the Corporation, CEO Akaba was even more intrigued by the Pendulum Summoner. "I'll be sure to keep a closer eye on you, Yuya Sakaki."

That took longer than I thought. Instead of an upstager, I made Shingo into more of a take things into his hands, only looking out for number one Duelist. Just a reminder, the next match, Yuya vs Sora will be split into two like on the show. I know I didn't add certain people in this chapter, but I planned for Tatsuya to attempt to duel instead of Yuya. Also, Sora will definitely shine next time. And maybe some Fruitshipping fluff. Peace out everybody!


	4. Yuya's Disciple?

I've got another one for ya. I know I've mentioned it, but the next two chapters are Yuya vs Sora. This will probably be my most creative chapter in this story so far. There's quite a bit I'm changing from the show. That being said, here goes.

 **Chapter 4: Yuya's Disciple?**

Yuya was out of bed earlier than usual, which was a surprise. He looked around the room and found his necklace.

"What do you think, Dad? Ever since I discovered Pendulum Summon, things have started changing. I feel like now I really can bring smiles to others, even if I can't smile myself. If you're still out there, I'll do what's possible to make it happen."

He was wondering the hallway when he noticed a dog and a cat approaching. "Morning, En. I remember how small you were when Mom found you, I could only hold you with one hand."

He felt the cat rub his leg with a meow. "Good morning to you, too, Core." Just then, he heard some voices as he slid down the nearby pole.

"What's all this? Mom, you didn't pick up another stray did you?" he asked.

"No, nothing like that, we simply have a friend of yours visiting." said Yoko.

"Yuya, you gotta try this." said Sora.

"Sora? How?"

"I saw him wandering around, and I just had to get him something to eat." Yuya's mom chimed in.

"Uh, guess you're here trying to get me to duel, right?"

"Come on, Yuya-sensei, I can't wait any longer. Also, when I heard you lived here I thought she was your older sister or something." the younger boy added.

"Huh, sister?" Yuya and Yoko both seemed surprised.

"What, you mean you're not? I just figured someone as vibrant and lovely as you could be his sister, but being his mom is good, too."

Yoko was in a daze. "Yuya, Sora, you both must be hungry."

"Well, there's an hour til school starts, so I guess I can stay a bit longer." said Yuya.

"More pancakes right here."

"Looks great, Mom." ' _Maybe this kid isn't so bad._ '

"Hey, any syrup?" Sora asked.

"Sure is." Yoko squeaked.

After the hearty breakfast, Yuya finally caught up to Yuzu who was waiting for him and they started walking. She was surprised that Sora was looking for him since they only met yesterday.

"No way, he showed up at your house?" Yuzu asked.

"I was surprised, too, but at least a got a great breakfast out of it. At least Sora, wont bother us going this way." Yuya thought until...

"Yuya-sensei, I thought I'd find you out here." It was in fact Sora.

"Sora, this is a surprise." said Yuzu.

"Do you mind, Sora. I'm trying to get to class." the older boy said.

"Come on, I need to face you so I can learn how to Pendulum Summon."

"You were there at yesterday's duel, so even you know you need Pendulum Monsters in your Deck to use Pendulum Summon. And for the time being, only I have any Pendulum Monsters."

"Oh, come on, sensei. Hey, what about you? Can't you ask him?" he looks over at Yuzu.

"Me?" the girl seemed unsure.

"If you're sensei's girlfriend, and you ask him for me, he'll have to do it, right?"

She felt her face change colors. "Girlfriend?"

"You're not?"

Both of them were in hot water. Was the fact they were inseparable about to come out? They'd been this way some time before Yuya's dad went missing. There was only one thing they could both think to say.

"She's not my girlfriend!/I'm not his girlfriend!" Both said simultaneously.

"Look, Sora, just because Yuzu _is_ a sweetheart, doesn't make _us_ sweethearts, get it?" Yuya tried explaining it, when Yuzu whose face was reddened patted his back a bit too hard causing him to keel over as she tried to laugh it off. (I know in episode 10 she completely shoves him after the hug, but I've got something else planned.)

"What happened?" he looked around.

Yuzu felt bad for a bit. "I'm really sorry, Yuya. I guess I got too excited."

"Ha. That's all right."

Throughout the day, Yuya felt bombarded by Sora's antics, popping up everywhere he was trying to get him to duel. It would seem like Yuya would have to face him soon enough. He and Yuzu arrived where everyone else was waiting.

"Ladies and Gentleman. Who's ready to duel?" The secret couple waked in, only to find Sora was already there.

"About time you showed up. Hope you're ready to duel." said Sora.

"After hearing about the intense duel from yesterday, the rest of us should get a demonstration on Pendulum Summon." said Ayu.

"I still can't believe you were challenging an LDS student, Tatsuya." said Futoshi.

Principal Hiragi makes his way to Yuya. "Yuya, this is a great opportunity. If you face Sora, maybe we can see how he plays."

"Ready? Let's hurry and duel." Sora's eyes lit up.

"I could deal without the eyes, but seeing as how we're both here, I'm up for it."

The two were awaiting the Action Field. Shuzo was looking over the Field selection. "Okay, here goes. Activating the Field Spell, Sweets Island!"

All Sora could do was marvel at how the surroundings were all dessert. "This is too good. Get ready, Yuya-sensei. I'm ready for that first lesson."

"Why not? I'm already psyched." Yuya responded. Both players were just about ready.

"Duelists locked in combat!"

"Kicking up the dust from the ground and taking to the skies!"

"Their monsters storm the Field!"

"The greatest evolution of Dueling has arrived!"

"Action...!" Yuya started

" **Duel!** " Both players finished.

"I'm up first. I summon Performapal Hip Hippo. (ATK: 800) End turn." Yuya was up and running.

"Okay, my turn. Draw!" said Sora. "I activate Toy Vendor. With this Spell Card, once per turn I discard a card and check the top card of my Deck for a monster. I discard this to draw. All right! I Special Summon Fluffal Bear!" (ATK: 1200) Now I Normal Summon Fluffal Leo!" (ATK: 1600)

Sora was off to a good start having two monsters with well over 1000 points. Shuzo liked what he saw.

"This kid's pretty good. Using Spells to summon extra monsters." he said.

"Yeah, even so his monsters actually seem harmless." Yuzu implied.

"I'll say." Ayu chimed in.

"Yuya, there's a lake right there!" Tatsuya shouted. Yuya was a bit nervous, but landed in. He was able to wade his way out.

"Now then, Fluffal Leo attacks Hip Hippo." Sora called out.

"I activate the Evasion Action Spell! Rolling Hippo!"

"How did Yuya find an Action Card?" Ayu asked

"Wait I bet it was when he fell in that lake." said Tatsuya.

Yuya, careful! There's something up ahead!" Shuzo shouted.

Yuya freaked out as he slammed into a giant cake. He came out on top of it. "That was kinda tasty."

"Okay, Fluffal Bear attacks."

"Here's another Action Spell. This time I play Candy Shower. This switches an opponent's monster to Defense Mode."

Just then, Fluffal Bear was distracted by falling candy. (DEF: 800) "I'll end my turn."

"Was it possible he got that second Action Card in the cake?" Ayu wondered.

"Looks like it. Either way, nice one." said Yuzu.

"Okay, I draw!" Yuya realized he had his magicians. Now he could Pendulum Summon. "Lesson one. Setting your scale with two Pendulum Monsters to summon other monsters. I use Scale 1 Timegazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale!"

Sora looked on as the magicians appeared with the scale numbers below. Okay, my guess is you need two monsters with different scales. Keep going, Yuya-sensei."

' _I hope Tatsuya's closely paying attention like Sora is._ ' "Lesson two. Make sure you have monsters youre able to Pendulum Summon whose Level are in between the numbers on the scale."

"Okay, now that you managed to set your scale, might as well go for it." Sora cheered.

' _This is it. Just like last time._ ' Tatsuya couldn't contain his excitement.

"Now I can summon monsters between Level 2 and 7 at the same time! Swing, pendulum! Bring forth the arc of light! Pendulum Summon! Here come three monsters!" Three lights shot down.

"Performapal Sword Fish! (ATK: 600) Performapal Skeeter Skimmer! (ATK: 500) And my ace monster, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" (ATK: 2500) Get ready. To start things off, I use SWord Fish's effect. Reducing Fluffal Leo's Attack Points by 600!" (ATK: 1000)

"Your monsters can do that?" Sora asked.

"Thats not all, my Odd-Eyes has an even more devastating effect. But for now, Odd-Eyes attacks Fluffal Bear. Spiraling Strike Burst! And I'll add more fuel to the fire with this Action Spell, Nanana! Increasing my monster's Attack Pioints by 700!" (ATK: 3200)

LP 4000 - 1800

"Okay, with that I end my turn. Uh, Sora, you okay over there?"

"Awesomeness! That was some attack with your ace monster. Maybe this turn I can get _my_ ace monster on the Field." said Sora. "My turn, draw! I'll use Toy Vendor again, discarding a card to draw again. I Special Summon Edge Imp Sabres!" (ATK: 1200) "Now, finally for this. I activate Polymerization!"

"What? You mean you can...?" Yuya asked.

"That spell summons a Fusion Monster." Shuzo added.

"I can send monsters in my hand or on the field to the Graveyard to summon a new monster. Shears of darkness and claws of ferocity, merge to form an astounding power! Fusion Summon! Shred all obstatcles, Frightfur Bear!" (ATK: 2200)

"That's Sora's ace card?" Yuya seemed surprised.

"Who would have thought that he could summon Fusion Monsters?" Yuzu asked.

"Now who's gonna win this?" Tatsuya was rather unsure. He had a feeling Yuya didn't use other methods, but hadn't lost his composure. Both aces just stood there and Yuya and Sora were about to end things.

Well, this is finally done. The next chapter will be the second half of this match. I'l try to catch up as much as I can. I kinda have the next few chapters thought out, but have to write them first. I know there's a lot to look forward to. Peace out everybody!


	5. An Important Lesson

I think you've waited long enough. Here's the second half of Yuya vs Sora. I'll have to bring in the new year with one of my favorite episodes since this will be probably one of my last update for a while.

 **Chapter 5: An Important Lesson**

There they stood. Sora had already lost more than half his Life Points, and both him and Yuya had their ace monsters out. The rest of the school remained unaware of could happen next.

"Polymerization? Who would have guessed he'd have a card like that." asked Ayu.

"It's a Spell card that takes two monsters from a player's hand or field to make a stronger monster." said Tatsuya.

"So that's... Fusion Summon." Yuzu seemed worried.

"Now I heard that LDS have courses in Fusion. Was he originally from there?" Shuzo wondered.

"No, Sora just happened to be visiting when we were there."

"I think I'll attack now, sensei. Battle! Frightfur Bear, attack Hip Hippo!" Sora declared.

Frightfur Bear's arm stretched out surprisingly. Then Yuya landed backwards in the lake.

LP: 4000-2600

"Frightfur Bear's effect activates. When it destroys a monster, it becomes an Equip Card and Frightfur Bear gains that monster's Attack Points."

Frightfur Bear pulled Hip Hippo from the lake only to devour it whole for its effect. (ATK: 3000)

"I place two cards face down and end my turn."

"That makes Sora's monster stronger than Odd-Eyes." said Tatsuya.

"Think it'll be the next to go? Shivers..." Futoshi trembled.

"My turn. That bear maybe a terrifying monster, but I still have this." Yuya made his move.

"I activate Sword Fish's effect! Frightfur Bear loses 600 Attack Points!" (ATK: 2400)

"Nice. Now, Odd-Eyes can attack." Tatsuya sounded surprised.

"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attacks Frightfur Bear!"

"Activate Trap, Punch-in-the-Box. This card sends another monster from your Field to the Graveyard, reduces the attacking monster's Attack Points by either the sent monster's Attatck Points _or_ Defense Points, and blocks the attack!"

"Well then, I use Timegazer Magician's Pendulum Effect! I can prevent the activation of a Trap Card that targets a Pendulum Monster! Infinite Gear Reversal!" Yuya had thought he managed to pull through.

"Not bad, but I'll just activate another one. I play a second Punch-in-the-Box." the young student countered.

"Another one?"

"Now I can send Performapal Skeeter Skimmer to the Graveyard. And Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's Attack Points are reduced by Skeeter Skimmer's Defense Points." (ATK: 900)

"Damn, he's good. I switch Sword Fish to Defense Mode. (DEF: 600) Then one face down card, that'll end my turn."

"End Phase, Frightfur Bear restores its lost Attack Points. (ATK: 3000) Draw. Come on, Yuya-sensei. I know you're full of surprises. This can't be all that you have, so let's both make this more exciting. I active Toy Parade! With this any monster with an Equip card can attack as many times as the number of Equip Cards it has."

"This is bad!" Shuzo exclaimed.

"I don't get it. Frightfur Bear only has Hip Hippo equipped. Wouldn't that mean it can still only attack once?" Futoshi seemed puzzled.

"No, that's not it. Frightfur Bear equips **any** monster it destroys!" Tatsuya figured it out.

"That means...!" Yuzu stood at a standstill fearing the worst.

"For every monster Frightfur Bear destroys and sends to the Graveyard, it can attack again!" Yuya looked ahead.

"Very nice, you pieced it together. If I can clear your monsters, and then go for a direct attack, I'll win!" Sora cheered.

"Could this be the real strength of Fusion or has this only scratched the surface?" Shuzo couldn't help but wonder.

"Relax, Dad." Yuzu assured him. "This is Yuya were talking about here. He won't give in easily."

At the same time, Yuya and Sora both spot an Action Card lying around and race off for it. Using Frightfur Bear's paw as springboard, Sora gains an edge over Yuya's Odd-Eyes. Sora reaches out for it, and after getting it does u-turn around the candy cane.

"Here goes. Frightfur Bear, attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

"Since I couldn't get that Action Card I'll just use this. I activate Command Performance! I still have Sword Fish on the field so this card switches Frightfur Bear to Defense Mode." said Yuya.

"I might as well use this." Sora was ready. "I activate the Action Spell, Candy Coat. This makes my monster unaffected by Spell or Trap effects and can't be destroyed in battle."

"That means..."

Odd-Eyes was flung by the attack into the lake. LP: 2600-500

"That's the first time anyone's brought down Yuya's ace monster." Yuzu was surprised.

"I can see why he's like this. Wasn't Odd-Eyes the way he discovered Pendulum Summon?" Tatsuya asked.

"Think he's all right?" asked Ayu.

Yuya then remembered a time when he was the park at a younger age. Tearing up a bit while wandering the park. Then, Yusho's words came to mind. _'Okay, just remember. Feeling sad all the time is the same as going nowhere. Just look forward.'_ And he found what he was looking for. His necklace was hanging from a tree branch.

"Laugh it off, right, Dad?" Yuya was in hysterics. "This Duel is way too much fun. Gimme your best shot, Sora." He noticed a glow from his Duel Disk and couldn't believe what happened. "If you're looking for Odd-Eyes, it's not in the Graveyard."

Everyone else was amazed. Where could it have ended up? "It's in my Extra Deck. I'll say I was pretty surprised."

"Impressive!" Sora's excitement met Yuya's. "My guess is that any Pendulum Monster that gets destroyed goes to the Extra Deck instead of the Graveyard. That's why it hasn't been equipped. Okay, that ends my turn, sensei."

"Okay, time to work my magic. The fun's just getting started!" Yuya's catchphrase rang out.

"I've already set the Pendulum Scale, so I can still Pendulum Summon! My final two monsters are a new Pendulum Monster, Performapal Cheermole (ATK:600) and making a return from the Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" (ATK: 2500)

"So, Pendulum Monsters that are destroyed are sent to the Extra Deck, and that must mean they can be summoned again next turn. This is what Pendulum Monsters are capable of! Way to go, Yuya!" Shuzo exclaimed.

"First, Sword Fish's effect. Reducing Frightfur Bear's Attack Points." (ATK: 2400)

"Okay, now Odd-Eyes can beat Frightfur Bear." said Ayu.

"But if he's gonna win, his monster's don't have enough points to finish it this turn." Futoshi added.

"Now for Cheermole's effect!" Yuya was about to end it in style. "Cheermole, do your dance. Once per turn, depending when a monsters Attack Points are increased or decreased, I can either increase or decrease that monster's Attack Points by 1000. Frighfur Bear loses another 1000 points! (ATK: 1400) Add to it, Odd-Eyes' effect."

"If it destroys a monster Level 5 or higher, it deals double damage." Yuzu clued in.

"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Frightfur Bear. With luminescent flames, go all out in a blaze of glory! Fiery Spiral Burst!"

Sora landed in a whipped cream topping. LP: 1800-0

Yuya approached him. "It's settled, isn't it? I can't be your teacher."

"That was an amazing game, consider us friends, Yuya."

"Okay."

"That was great. Sora, where did you learn Fusion?" Shuzo asked.

"It shouldn't come as a surprise. Where I was before coming here, a lot of people use Fusion Monsters." Sora responded.

"Does that mean you'll become our new student?"

"It is. This place is exciting!"

With that, You Show Duel School received its first Fusion Summoner. But there was still a bit no one else knew about him. In time, maybe even the others might pick up Fusion Monsters.

Okay, this might be my last entry of the year. Next time, I'll cover one of my favorite episodes of ARC-V. If I don't upload any more chapters in the next few days, I'll see everyone in 2016! Review, fav, check out my other stories and have a good one. C ya in the new year.


	6. The Dark Knight

Here it is. In my mind, one of the best episodes in Arc-V. But like the other chapters, the episodes are changed either slightly or drastically. At long last, Yuto makes his debut. I'm gonna enjoy writing this.

 **Chapter Six: The Dark Knight**

"Remind me again, Ayu. How is that we, the only girls wind up on an ice cream run for all the _boys_ back at the school?" Yuzu asked. (Just think back to this episode when the boys just say 'ice cream' three times, kinda funny lol)

"I don't mind us going out of our way like this. Besides, I feel like you would have gone on this ice cream route anyway." said Ayu. Then Yuzu noticed some LDS students out and about.

"Say, have you heard about Sawatari's revenge scheme?"

"Revenge scheme? Is he planning something against Yuya?" Yuzu wondered as she stayed low while eavesdropping.

"Yuya?" the younger girl seemed worried.

"Yeah, he seems pissed this time for losing against the guy who beat the Champion. He's probably at the warehouse district putting his plan into fruition right now."

It was decided. The two headed for the warehouse district. As they arrived, they checked every location. Then, they noticed someone walking out from one of the warehouses.

"Ayu, tell Yuya to hurry here in case something happens. I'll stay and Duel this guy."

"OK... You sure you'll be all right?"

"It's fine. I'll set him straight if he's thinking about messing with Yuya."

"Here I go." With that, Ayu took off. Yuzu was about ready for anything. As soon as she turned the corner, she stood her ground. Just then, a mysterious observer noticed her walking up from atop another platform.

"What's she doing here?" He decided to get closer.

"Sawatari, get ready to Duel!" Yuzu yelled.

"Yuzu Hiragi? What are you doing all the way out here?" Sawatari asked.

"Shut up and face me, you bastard!"

"Probably came all this way knowing I'd be here."

"You scared or what?"

"Will you just listen?"

"Not a word. I heard you have some revenge scheme against Yuya planned, and I won't have it. You, me, right now."

He felt like nothing he could say would matter, so he had to go along with it. "All right, fine, Hiragi. If you're willing to Duel someone that badly, I could use this as reason to try out my new deck."

"Wait right there."

Both Yuzu and Sawatari wondered who decided to step in on their match. And as he continued walking, both got a good look at him. It seemed his face was covered up and he had a red scarf tied around his arm, a tie around a turned up collar and a tattered jacket and pants.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Sawatari wondered.

"I'll face you instead." the mysterious figure said.

"Wait a minute, this is supposed to be my fight." Yuzu felt something familiar as she felt a hand lightly on her arm.

"I just don't want to see you hurt again."

Yuzu suddenly felt uneasy as if she heard those words as if someone else said them.

"Seems to me you're some kind of dark knight. That's fine with me."

"Let's just get started."

Both Duel Disks were turned on. "That Disk is sure an unusual model. Can't wait to see what you can do."

" **Duel!** " both declared.

"Hope you don't mind, but I'll be going first. I set all five of my starting cards. I end my turn." the dark Duelist started.

"W-what the hell? Not even one monster? You have some nerve, pal." the blonde seemed rather irritated.

"I don't need a monster right away seeing as how there's plenty of time. Just start your turn."

"Fine then. Draw. I think I'll make good use of your set cards. Because you have 2 or more Spells and Traps, I can Special Summon from my hand Escher the Frost Vassal. (ATK: 800) Now I'll tribute Escher to Tribute Summon Mobius the Frost Monarch. (ATK: 2400)

"Okay, 2400 points. Let's see where this goes."

"Now for Mobius' effect! I can destroy up to 2 Spell or Trap Cards on the field! I'm just getting started, because I activate Tribute Carnival. Now I can Tribute Summon again."

"Again? Why would he tribute a monster that has so many points? Unless..." Yuzu was shocked.

"I tribute Mobius to Tribute Summon Mobius the Mega Monarch! (ATK: 2800) Normally, Level 7 or higher monsters would take 2 Tributes, but because I Tributed a Tribute Summoned monster, I only need 1! That's the power of the _Mega_ Monarchs! And now Mega Mobius' effect. I can destroy up to 3 Spell and Trap Cards on the field, and furthermore, none of those destroyed cards can be activated in response!"

And just like that, the dark knight was left with an empty field, but stood completely unwavering.

"Well now Mr. Dark Knight. It seems you're out of resources, so I'll just end this quickly. Mobius, attack directly!"

I activate all 3 The Phantom Knights of Shadow Veil from the Graveyard. Before I take a direct attack, this Trap can be summoned as a monster in Defense Mode." (DEF: 300x3)

"Impressive. He thought that they'd be destroyed as Traps so he could play them again as monsters." the observing girl said.

"I certainly wasn't expecting _that_ , but no matter. Mobius will just attack one of them."

"That's fine. When Shadow Veil is destroyed as a monster, it's banished instead of going back in the Graveyard."

"I'll just put one card face-down and call it a turn. I want to see how tough you really are, and this is your only turn to do it. Don't let me down!"

"Very well. Draw. Now that I have two monsters that are Level 4, I can finally bring out my best card. I overlay my two remaining Level 4 Shadow Veils! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Both monsters turned into dark purple lights and dove into a gold and black spiral forming in the ground.

"Overlay?"

"It can't be...!"

The spiral exploded and a bright light began to reveal a new monster.

"With fangs of revolt, emerge from the darkness and smash through injustice! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" (ATK: 2500)

"Xyz Summon?"

"You actually summoned from the Extra Deck. I certainly at first wasn't expect you to use an Xyz Monster, but its Attack Points I'm afraid come up a little too short."

"Then why don't we change that? If you knew anything about Xyz Monsters, it's that their Xyz Material are the source of their power. Here, let me show you. I activate Dark Rebellion's effect! At the cost of 1 Material, I can reduce the Attack Points of 1 Level 5 or higher monster on the opponent's field and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon gains those Attack Points! Treason Discharge!" (ATK: 1400) (ATK: 3900)

"That dragon drains a monster's Attack Points?"

"This isn't real...!"

"One more time. Dark Rebellion's effect! Treason Discharge! (ATK: 700) (ATK: 4600) I attack. Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, shatter the thick ice that blocks our path! Treachery Lightning Fang!" LP: 4000 - 100

The explosion from the attack was too much for Sawatari and Yuzu who was in the path of some debris from the blast headed her way.

"Ruri!" the dark knight vice hugged Yuzu as he took the physical damage from the scattered pieces.

As the wind subsided, Yuzu could only look ahead nervously as he let go. "Ruri? Excuse me, but I think you have the wrong girl."

"But how?" he asked.

"How is this possible? A real explosion during a Duel outside an Action Field?" It didn't make any sense to Sawatari at all.

"Let me ask you something. These pins are worn by LDS students, right? Does that mean your school has connections to Academy Island?"

"Academy Island? It sounds like a Duel School I've never heard of. Look, all I know is all of us LDS Duelists wear these, but this island is something new." he explained.

"Fine then. Let's resume."

"I couldn't agree more. I activate Ice Rage! Because an Aqua-Type monster on my field was destroyed by an opponent's monster, this card destroys that monster and deals damage equal to its current Attack Points. Your Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon has currently 4600 points. Which means I win!"

"Not quite. I banish Phantom Knights' Spear from my Graveyard. I can negate and destroy any activated Trap and deal 100 damage." Phantom Knights' emerged from its card slowly. "This Duel is over!" The spear ended at an angle next to Sawatari and the game was finished. LP: 100 - 0

The mysterious figure decided to remove his cover and to both observers' shock they thought they knew who it was.

"Wait... You're not Yuya..." Yuzu seemed unsettled.

"What do you mean that's not him? Because you sure look like Yuya Sakaki to me! I bet it is you!" the blonde shouted feeling shaky.

"It seems I resemble Yuya the same way you resemble Ruri. I didn't mean to say the wrong name." he sounded sincere.

"It's true, Sawatari, this isn't who we thought he was. He called me by a different name, and Yuya always gets my name right. By the way, I'm Yuzu. That way there's no confusion next time." she laughed. "Oh, and your name, if you'd be so kind?"

A single name was uttered. "Yuto."

Just then, her bracelet blinked a few times followed by a pink glow, and before she knew it, he was gone. She looked around and saw Yuya just up ahead.

"Yuya?"

"Hey, Yuzu. Ayu told me what was happening and I rushed over." Yuya looked ahead. "Shingo Sawatari? As long as you're still here, how about that Duel?"

"I think I'll wait til next time to exact my vengeance. Listen and listen well, Yuya. I may not know if you just got here, or if you're the guy I just faced, but I do know this: you're not winning next time! It'll be more satisfying to crush the guy who beat Ishijima on the same grounds. We'll settle things and the Arc League Tournament! You'd better be there, Yuya!" Shingo walked off with his pride.

"The Arc League Tournament. It's almost time. So wait, someone already Dueled him?"

"Yeah, this guy looked a bit like you, but he got my name wrong."

"Really? Wow, my only wish is that I could've faced him myself. What was his deck like?"

"There were mostly Spell and Traps, oh, and an Xyz Monster."

"Maybe you're dad knows about Xyz Monsters. We can ask him tomorrow during class."

"Okay... We should head back."

"Let's go!" With that, they were off. Yuzu's mind seemed unclear by what happened. Another person resembled Yuya and there was another girl out there who looked like her. Could this mean that You Show students would start using Extra Deck monsters?

Hey guys, sorry I took so long. I'll be sure to work this story as much as possible. Also I decided to go with 'Xyz Material' instead of 'Overlay Unit' since I though it made more sense. I already have a few ideas how to mix up the series for the story. I'm not sure how to describe the next few chapters, but this is getting good.


	7. Clashing of Schools

Hey, a few new favorites and followers, that's good. So, now I guess I'll have to resume this story. We already introduced Yuto's name prematurely, but that was intentional. This marks the beginning of the LDS onslaught.

 **Chapter 7: Clashing of Schools**

A private liner over the sea, en route back to Maiami City. Aboard, a local businesswoman going over the results of her latest negotiations. The liner had arrived at LDS Tower, where she was expected to arrive.

"Chairwoman Akaba, welcome." said Nakajima.

"Ah, Nakajima. I didn't expect this."

"Unfortunately, there has been a great situation lately in the city; a possibly groundbreaking new method of Summoning has been discovered in a recent Duel. I'm sure your son will be more than happy to give you the details."

"Hopefully, nothing too awful has happened. Where is Reiji?"

"I shall bring him here."

"No need. Mother, what a surprise to see you back so early."

"Reiji."

"I can handle things here, Nakajima."

"Of course, Mister President."

"Reiji, what's this I hear about a new method being discovered?"

"Why, yes." They turn to a nearby screen. "Recently, during an exhibition match, a fifth Summoning method was made known. It seems to be called Pendulum Summon."

"Pendulum?"

"It seems these Pendulum Monsters are able to summon multiple monsters at once."

"Who is the Duelist that uses these new cards."

"Yuya Sakaki."

"Sakaki? As in...?"

"It would seem so. He is the son of Legendary Duelist, Yusho Sakaki."

"Yusho? What do we know about him?"

"Age 14. Impressive Dueling records for someone his age, and the fact he won the exhibition match against the city champion, Strong Ishijima."

"If I recall, Strong Ishijima was supposed to be Yusho's final opponent before his disappearance three years ago. Is his school still where it was before?"

"Yes, the school Yusho founded is still in the city."

"Good. I must consult with this boy and see if he really is like his father."

"Alone?"

"Certainly not. I need to visit a few classrooms first."

Meanwhile, at You Show Duel School, an ordinary class was taking place. With Shuzo as the only teacher and the principal, one might believe him to be overworked. Even with the two recent student additions, it didn't feel as empty.

"Okay, today we'll be going over ways to summon monsters." Shuzo announced. "First, Normal Summon; the most common way to summon your monsters. Basically, to Normal Summon, you play a Level 4 or lower monster in face-up Attack Mode. If a monster is placed from the hand in face-down Defense Mode, it's called a Set, and will count toward your 1 Normal Summon per turn, so be careful. Next, we come to Tribute Summon. Now, who can tell us what that means?"

"I can." Tatsuya stood.

"Brilliant, Tatsuya. Go right ahead."

"To Tribute Summon, you Tribute a monster already on your field to summon monsters that are higher levels. To summon a Level 5 or 6 monster, you only tribute one monster, but two monsters need to be Tributed if summoning a monster Level or higher."

"That's it, all right. Now for something we've seen only recently. Sora, how about you give us the rundown on Fusion Summon?"

"Sure. Fusion Monsters will say the names of the monsters that need to be used as Fusion Material in the card text. But the most basic way to play Fusion is with the Polymerization Spell Card, like I demonstrated in my match with Yuya. There are many other ways to fuse monsters from what I've seen."

"Now how does Polymerization work?"

"You simply play it like an ordinary Spell, but you need to have the right monsters to fuse. They can be either on the field or in your hand, which makes it easy to use."

"Mighty impressive."

"Dad,what about summoning Xyz Monsters?" Yuzu inquired. Sora's eyes shifted in excitement while Yuya's eyes only showed worry.

"Xyz Monsters? Now that's something I haven't been able to do. Why ask so suddenly?"

"Just that I saw someone use an Xyz Monster to win a Duel while walking back yesterday."

"Wait, is this about the guy who looked a lot like me? I still wish I could have met him." Yuya added.

"You're kidding. Someone who looks like you, but uses Xyz Monsters?"

"He must have been who you were talking about yesterday."

"What did you see? How do you believe Xyz Summoning works?"

"Not too sure. On just his second turn, he had two Level 4 monsters he used to summon that dragon, and won it easily."

Just then, someone came in. "Yuya! Someone's here..."

"Gongenzaka?" With that, Yuya dashed towards him.

"Just over that way."

"Let's all go."

With that, the whole class and Noboru rushed over to the entrance to find someone waiting for them.

"You must be Yuya." It was Chairwoman Akaba. "So this is all that's left of your father's legacy."

"You know who I am?"

"Wait a minute. You're... you're Himika Akaba!"

"Dad, you know who she is?"

"She's the chairman of LDS's board of directors."

"I'm surprised, Principal Shuzo Hiragi. I was certainly hoping we can take the matter of my visit inside."

Everyone gathered in the main area. Himika was anxious to see how a Pendulum Summon works. Yuya wondered even more how someone from LDS would actually be interested in him.

"It would seem Yuya Sakaki has made quite the name for himself. Not only defeating one of our renowned students, Shingo Sawatari, and even going toe to toe with Strong Ishijima, but also being the first one to use the recently talked about Pendulum Summon." she started.

"It doesn't surprise me that you would know about Pendulum Monsters, to be honest. And what do you mean by one of your renowned students?" Shuzo asked.

"I remember that. Yuzu, Tatsuya and I got roped into visiting the LDS compound by him and he tried to use my Pendulum Cards after stealing them, but he couldn't win. Even what he said last night still irks me."

"You saw him again? Was there another Duel?" Tatsuya asked.

"No, the Duel was already over, and he and Yuzu were the only ones there. He sounded like he was still angry for the Duel we had last time."

"I remember now. He wanted revenge for losing, so he planned to jump Yuya, forcing him into another Duel." Yuzu answered.

"Revenge?" the principal sounded concerned.

"I wanted to face him, but someone else beat him instead."

"The one who used an Xyz Summon?"

"And the craziest thing is, Yuya, he looked a lot like you. And before you think you could have done it without realizing it, something happened that made me realize it wasn't you at all; he got my name wrong."

"That is weird. Someone who looks like me thinking you were someone else."

"The matter still stands; one of our aspiring students was brought down in a Duel. This cannot stand, which brings me to the real reason I'm here! LDS already displays the different methods of summoning; Fusion, Synchro and Xyz. Just think what would happen if Pendulum had its own pillar at our school. Which is why I'm considering merging You Show Duel School with LDS and having Pendulum Summon as a part of our school curriculum."

"You mean..."

"Our school would...?"

"This school meant everything to my dad! I'm not about to have this happen!"

"Which is why I thought ahead. Let's step into the Dueling Arena."

Once there, they were also in the presence of three more LDS students.

"Introducing the three opponents I have in store for you. Hokuto Shijima, the star student of our Xyz course. Masumi Koutsu, star student of the Fusion course. And Yaiba Todo, star student of the Synchro course. Now, which three of you will step up?"

"Obviously me. The principal's daughter, Yuzu Hiragi."

"And me. Discoverer of Pendulum Monsters and aspiring Entertainer, Yuya Sakaki."

"Since no one else, will rise, it's up to the man! Even if I may represent this school's only rival, I'm still successor to the Gongenzaka Dojo, Nobouru Gongenzaka!"

"You're from _the_ Gongenzaka Dojo? It's all right with me. So long as there are three of you willing and able to Duel." said Himika. "So, who's first?"

"I'll go." Yuya declared.

"As will I." Hokuto stood his ground.

The first match of three was about to get underway. Unbeknownst to everyone, a mysterious figure was shadowing the students of both schools from within its walls.

I'm gonna try to get the next four games from uploaded in the next few days. Until then, be sure to review, not just favorite or follow. Maybe even ask me a few questions about this story.


	8. Reach for the Stars

I can feel the excitement as I write these next few chapters. I may slightly alter these next few games, but nothing too big. Also, I tried to slightly alter this match as I was writing it, but it just didn't fit together, so the dialogue is altered instead.

 **Chapter Eight: Reach for the Stars**

"Activating the Field Spell... Cosmic Sanctuary!" Principal Hiragi says in excitement. The Field Spell setting not only had a starry sky but what seemed like ruins of some kind.

"That's fine with me. This happens to be a field I'm most familiar with." said Hokuto.

"That just makes this more exciting." replied Yuya. "Let's just get this over with. The sooner LDS clears out, the better."

The others could feel the tension as they signaled the first game to begin.

"Duelists locked in combat!"

"Kicking up the dust from the ground and taking to the skies!"

"Their monsters storm the Field!"

"The greatest evolution of Dueling has arrived!"

"Action...!"

"Duel!" Both players finished.

"I'll start. I summon Constellar Algiedi." (ATK: 1600) When Algiedi is Normal Summoned, I can summon another Level 4 Constellar from my hand. Come on out, Constellar Kaus!" (ATK: 1800) "And now Kaus' effect! Up to twice per turn, I can either increase or decrease the level of a Constellar monster. Kaus and Algiedi are now Level 5." (LV 4-5)

"So, if he has two monsters with the same Level, he's gonig for an Xyz Summon?" Tatsuya asked

"Let's see..." Sora answered.

"I overlay Level 5 Constellar Algiedi and Kaus." Both monsters become different shades of yellow lights and pulled into a black and gold spiral. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network! The one that bears the strength of the stars, none shall withstand their light! Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Constellar Pleiades!" (ATK: 2500) "With that, I end my turn."

"What? It's Rank instead of Level? And what happened to the other monsters?"

"Well, from seeing the match with Yuto yesterday, those orbs circling the Xyz Monster are the remains of the original monsters and are now Xyz Materials which Xyz Monsters need to use their effects."

"That's correct, Yuzu. All you need is at least 2 monsters of the same level to summon an Xyz Monster whose Rank is equal to the Level of its materials." said the Fusion summoner.

"My guess is that's your Ace Monster. There's only one way to answer it... and it's in my opening hand! My turn." said Yuya. "I use Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale. I can summon monsters between Level 2 and 7 at the same time. Swing, pendulum! Bring forth the arc of light! I Pendulum Summon two monsters!" Two light, one blue and one green shot down from the scale. "First, Performapal Sword Fish. (ATK: 600) And since I saw your Ace Monster, I'll show you mine. Here's Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon." (ATK: 2500)

"Nice." said Ayu.

"Shivers!" Futoshi cheered.

"So this... is Pendulum Summon." Himika seemed intrigued.

Hokuto simply looked on in concern. "Only two monsters? I was expecting something a bit more, but let's just see how good your Ace is."

"I would've summoned more monsters if I could, but these two will do for now. I'll start with Sword Fish's effect. When its summoned, the opponent's monsters lose 600 Attack Points!" (ATK: 1900)

"Now then, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon will attack Constellar Pleiades!"

"Or so you think! I activate Pleiades' effect. Using 1 material, once during either player's turn, I can return any card on the field to the hand. I return Odd-Eyes back to your hand."

After seeing a bright light headed downward, Yuya makes a mad dash to the right, but was intercepted.

"Remember when I told I was familiar with this Field Spell? It turns out I can simply guess where each falling star will land and how to get there."

"That _is_ rather impressive, even though only 1 Action Spell can be in hand at a time." Yuya responded in slight amusement.

"Even if it means I only have one, I can still prevent you from using any."

"That can't be good! Yuya, keep going!" Shuzo shouted.

"Well then, I'll just put this face-down and call it a turn."

"All right, my turn. I'll summon Constellar Sheratan. (ATK: 700) Now for its effect. Because Sheratan was Normal Summoned, I get to add a Constellar monster to my hand. I think I'll add Constellar Sombre." (On the off chance he Pendulum Summons Odd-Eyes again, I'll save the remaining material for next turn) "Pleiades, attack Sword Fish!"

(Then that means...)

LP: 4000-2100

"This is bad! Yuya's taken a lot of damage!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"It looks like he's getting even more frustrated." Sora added.

"One card-face down. End turn."

"Man, that sure woke me up a bit. My turn. The scales are still set. Pendulum Summon! Now I bring out two more monsters! Performapal Turn Toad (DEF: 800) and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" (ATK: 2500)

"Two monsters again? Trying to play it safe won't cut it."

"It doesn't make any difference. I _will_ protect this school!"

"I'd say he's more driven but might try something rather drastic." said Tatsuya.

"That's not good either. It's just like when Yuto was driven to protect me." (His smile is supposed to be sincere, not because he's got something to hide.) Yuzu felt rather unsteady.

"We just have to see if he has something planned to get out of this. That's all we can do right now." said Noboru.

Another falling star appeared. Yuya, set to make his move leaps into the fray. "Let's ride, Odd-Eyes!" Odd-Eyes charged forward and hurdled to the roof of an unstable structure.

"Pleiades' effect! Odd-Eyes goes back to your hand!"

"I'm amazed he timed it perfectly!" said Tatsuya.

"I know, what a rotten trick!" Futoshi added.

"Hang in there, pal!" the muscle called out.

All Yuya could do was make a last ditch effort before he would slide off the roof.

"Activate trap! Performapal Revival! Because one of my monsters left the field, I can summon a Performapal from the Graveyard. Return, Sword Fish." (DEF: 600)

After regaining his footing, he makes it to the top only to get another nasty surprise.

"I activate the Action Spell, Cosmic Arrow! This instantly destroys any card added to the opponent's hand! Sucks to be you."

"I'll end." He hopped off the roof and took off once more.

"My turn. I summon Constellar Sombre. (ATK: 1550) I'll even use its effect. By banishing 1 Constellar in my Graveyard, I get one back to my hand. I'll banish Algiedi to return Kaus, and Sombre's second effect gives me another Normal Summon. So, here it is again, Costellar Kaus! (ATK: 1800)"

"I can only guess what's coming next."

"I'll shut you up with this next move. Your trash school is finished! Kaus' effect makes both my monsters Level 5! (LV 4-5) I overlay Level 5 Sombre and Kaus! Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Constellar Pleiades!"

"Another one?"

"How will this school's best manage to win now?"

"Pleiades' effect! Turn Toad goes back to your hand!" Yuya was at the end of his rope as he pulled himself up from the ledge.

"I think I'll make some good use out of my first Pleiades. I can Xyz Summon this monster using another Constellar Xyz Monster as material. Cluster of stars in the night sky coated in powerful light! Xyz Summon! Rank 6! Constellar Ptolemy M7!"

"You mean you can summon an Xyz Monster using another one?" Yuya sounded shocked.

"Not many decks can do this however. I'm surprised he's made such excellent strides." the chairwoman added.

Suddenly, the ground started quaking. Yuya knew this was a golden opportunity to get ahead. As the building he rushed for was collapsing, all he could do was run.

"Nowhere to go. Now for the onslaught! Pleiades, attack Sword Fish!"

Unwavering, he kept going. Everyone was certain the building had fallen on top of him, but when it looked like the chips were down, the young entertainer emerged from the rubble.

"He's okay!" Yuzu cheered.

"Burning spirit!" Shuzo shouted.

"He's got this!"

"You should have just run scared the other way." Hokuto sounded aggrevated.

"Where's the fun in that?" Yuya mocked.

"You've got some nerve! M7, attack directly!"

"Activate Twinkle Comet! M7 loses 1000 Attack Points and you take 500 damage." (ATK: 1700)

LP 2100-400

"You...! You...! I'll make you pay for damaging me so easily! Activate Constellar Tempest! Because I have a Constellar Xyz Monster, During each of my End Phases, your Life Points are halved!" Giant space rocks started falling everywhere causing insane amounts of damage. (Think of Draco Meteor from Pokemon but more intense)

"I'll end it there." LP 400-200

"Next turn, I'll finally crush you for this! There's no way scum like you can beat us!"

" _You_ have some nerve saying that about our friend!" Ayu shouted

"You jerks aren't even real Duelists at all!" Futoshi followed.

"Shut up, you stupid brats, just shut up! LDS Duelists do what it takes to win and we don't care who gets hurt!"

"Keh. You LDS students really make me wanna feel sorry for you. You really don't know what a real Duel is all about. Since I'm here, why don't I just show you myself?"

"Ha. He's beaming."

"Yeah, you're right."

(What does he mean? Could he be...) Yuzu wondered how Yuto would look being an entertainer like Yuya and pictured the two overlapping each other.

"Ladies and gentleman! Let's have some fun! Draw!" (This is it.) "I summon Performapal Trampolynx. (ATK: 300) And I'll use its effect to return any card on my field to my hand. I choose Stargazer Magician."

(He returned a Pendulum to his hand?) the unknown figure thought.

"I use Scale 3 Performapal Turn Toad and the already set Scale 8 Timegazer Magician to reset the Pendulum Scale." The green frog appeared in the scale over the number 3. "Now I can summon monsters between Level 4 and 7. Swing again, pendulum! The arc light starts shining! Pendulum Summon! My last two monsters! First, let's give a welcome to the main stage debut of Stargazer Magician!" (ATK: 1200)

"A monster he only used as a scale is now played as a monster?" the hooded figure glanced ahead.

"And of course, the real star of our show and my Ace Monster! Dragon's gaze of captivating dual colors! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" (ATK: 2500)

"It's over! Pleiades' effect activates! Using my last material, Odd-Eyes is back in your hand!"

"I _should_ thank you for playing into my hand. I activate Stargazer's Monster effect! When a Pendulum Monster leaves the field, I can just summon another one from my hand! One final and glorious return for Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" (ATK: 2500)

"What do you think, Sora? Yuya's got this."

"He sure looks like he's having fun. It all comes down to the last card in his hand."

"Time now for the big finish! First, Turn Toad's Pendulum effect. I can swap the Attack and Defense Points of any of my monsters. I'll of course choose Stargazer Magician. (ATK: 2400) Next, the last card in my hand. The Spell Card, Magical Star Illusion. With this, all monsters gain Attack Points for the added Level of all monsters on the field x100."

"Let's see. Odd-Eyes is a Level 7, Stargazer is Level 5, and Trampolynx is Level 2."

"So all of Yuya's monsters gain 1400 points." (ATK: 3900/3800/1700)

"Look, Hokuto's monsters didn't get the point boost?" Ayu wondered.

"Exactly." said Sora.

"I get it now. Xyz monsters are unaffected by this spell because they don't have Levels." Tatsuya sparked.

"Correct."

"Let's finish this! Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Constellar Ptolemy M7! Fiery Spiral Burst!"

LP 3500-2300

"Next, Stargazer Magcian will attack Constellar Pleiades! Star Slicer!"

LP 2300-1000

"This is the end. Trampolynx, direct attack!" The giant cat ran up and pounced bouncing Hokuto of its back flinging him into the wall of the closed area. LP 1000-0

"The first match is over. Yuya wins! On fire, yeah! Hot blooded!" Shuzo cheered.

(Now I'd really like those two to meet. I'm sure they would have an outstanding time.)

Next time, Yuzu vs Masumi! This took longer than I thought. The next one will be shorter I'm afraid since the next match isn't as long. But I may throw in a little something extra. Also I won't do every match in the series, but if I ask about the matches I'm thinking about adding or dropping, I'm sure someone will give their thoughts. Much later, I'll even throw in some matches that weren't in the show, that should be good. Well then, look forward to the next one.


	9. Diamond in the Rough

I'm gonna try to keep this as brief as possible and please stick around fort the end, you'll be surprised what I decided to throw in.

 **Chapter Nine: Diamond in the Rough**

Yuya stepped out of a door and on the other end was his best bud, Noboru.

"Way to go, bud! That was a great show!" Gongenzaka had him in a crushing hug.

"Hey, thanks, pal... Uh, Gongenzaka?" Yuya tried to say.

"You had me worried for a moment." Yuzu walked up.

"You're up, Yuzu."

"All right."

"So the principal's daughter's up next. Who should I send up?"

Just then, one of the remaining two stepped up. "Chairwoman Akaba, I'll go next."

"Masumi? Okay, then."

Both sides came to a decision. "Let's start the second face off."

(Okay, something that'll make her and her deck sparkle...) "I've got it! Activating the Field Spell... Crystal Corridor!" Just then, the holo projector room was turned into a shining display of mirrors, rainbow-colored stained glass and crystallized pillars.

"A rather fitting Action Field for me. But you, not so much." said Masumi.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Masumi didn't want the others listening in. "Girl to girl, I can tell your head's not in completely in this situation."

"How so?"

"You're thinking about that mystery man from yesterday, and confronted by thoughts of your friend."

"Listen, I know full well Yuya and Yuto are two different people."

"What do you think they're talking about?" asked Futoshi.

"Probably just girl stuff. Seeing as how there are mostly guys, they don't want anyone to hear." Tatsuya answered.

"If that's the case, then let's get started."

"Fine with me." the principal's daughter signaled they were both ready.

"Duelists locked in combat!"

"Kicking up the dust from the ground and taking to the skies!"

"Their monsters storm the Field!"

"The greatest evolution of Dueling has arrived! Action...!"

" **Duel!** " Both players finished.

"I'll start. I activate the Spell Card, Gem-Knight Fusion. For those who are wondering, it's just like Polymerization, but exclusive to the Gem-Knight archetype. I can send monsters from my hand or field to summon a Gem-Knight Fusion Monster." Masumi finished.

"Have you decided what to fuse for?" Yuzu asked.

"Hmm, I have some idea. I fuse Gem-Knight Tourmaline and Gem-Knight Emerald. Shimmering thunder, radiant fortune, merge in swirling light of brilliance! Fusion Summon! Level 6! Gem-Knight Topaz!" (ATK: 1800)

"Just because it has only 1800 points, I can't take it lightly."

"Seems you're slowly getting into it. Just don't take _me_ lightly either. By placing one card face-down, I'll end my turn."

"Draw! I'll also start off with a Spell, 1st Movement Solo! Because I have no monsters, I can summon a Level 4 or lower Melodious monster from my hand or Deck. From the Deck, I summon Aria the Melodious Diva. (ATK: 1600) If I have a Melodious monster, I can Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva from my hand." (ATK: 1200)

"I'm assuming you're not finished."

"Unfortunately, these two won't be around much longer. I Tribute both Aria and Sonata to Tribute Summon Mozarta the Melodious Maestra!" (ATK: 2600)

"Coming out of the gate with her Ace Monster?"

"Don't forget, Yuya, you also managed to summon your Ace on your the first turn."

"Mozarta's effect. Once per turn, I can summon a Melodious monster from my hand, so I Special Summon, Canon the Melodious Diva. (ATK: 1400) (I just hope she doesn't spring that face-down.) Now then, Mozarta, attack Gem-Knight Topaz! Graceful Wave!"

LP 4000-3200

"Now, Canon, attack directly!"

LP 3200-1800

"She's doing good out there!" said Gongenzaka.

"Just don't let up yet!" shouted Yuya.

"Not bad, not bad. I wasn't expecting a monster with 2600 points. But it'll take more than that to win."

"Canon's effect. I can switch the mode of any Melodious monster. I switch Canon to Defense Mode. (DEF: 2000) Once card face-down. End turn."

"Fine, then. Draw. I'll summon Gem-Knight Alexandrite. (ATK: 1800) Alexandrite's monster effect. I can Tribute it to summon another Gem-Knight from my Deck. I choose Gem-Knight Crystal! (ATK: 2450) "

"2450 is an impressive amount, but..." Yuzu started.

"There's more." Masumi interrupted. "Activate Fragment Fusion. I can banish monsters in my Graveyard for a Fusion Summon!"

"Banish..." Ayu started.

"From the Graveyard?" Tatsuya finished.

"I have to say, she's pretty good..." the other Fusion player weighed in.

"Stone of daylight, radiant fortune, shimmering thunder, merge in swirling light of brilliance! Fusion Summon! Shining perfection! Level 9! Gem-Knight Master Diamond! (ATK: 2900) This is _my_ Ace Monster. I activate Master Diamonds effect. Banishing 1 Gem-Knight Fusion Monster, Master Diamond gains its effects for this turn. Obviously, I banish Gem-Knight Topaz."

"Its effects?"

"To start off, Gem-Knight Crystal attacks Canon."

(Good thing she was in Defense Mode.)

"Gem-Knight Master Diamond, attack Mozarta!"

LP 4000-3700

"Remember what I said about Topaz's effects? It has two of them! First when a monster is destroyed, you take damege equal to the destroyed monster's Attack Points!"

LP 3700-1100

"What do you think? Can she come back from this?" Gongenzaka asked.

"I hate to say it, but unfortunately, she's done." Sora gloomily looked ahead attempting to reach out to Yuya since he knew they were closer than anyone.

"Topaz's second effect gives it a second attack! You fought hard, just fell a bit short."

(I... I can't even use my Set card...! Only one chance though.) Yuzu bolted toward the nearby pillar.

"Master Diamond, direct attack!"

"Got it!" All she could do was look in shock. (Oh no... Miracle. I can't use this either.)

"It's a sad day when the Action Cards turn against you." And just like that, it was over as Yuzu took the last hit of damage.

LP 1100-0

(Crap. Hang on, Yuzu.) Yuya rushed ahead.

"It was an interesting match, though." said Sora.

"Yu..." Yuzu's vision seemed blurry at first as she thought she saw two people and it only turned out to be Yuya.

"You good?"

"I think so..." Just then, she collapsed while holding onto him.

"You sure you're okay? What happened? It looked like got the Action Card but didn't use it."

"I couldn't. I'm sure you know what Miracle does."

"Miracle? That prevents a monster from being destroyed and... reduces the damage by half. That's why you couldn't use it."

"It wouldn't have mattered. I didn't have enough points to survive."

"Seems you're more concerned about him than I thought." Masumi intervened.

Yuzu back up a bit from the hug only to shine bright pink, and trip backwards. Yuya instantly ended up behind her by holding her shoulders to keep her from falling.

"You can't keep doing this. I might collapse myself."

"Sorry about that, Yuya." said Yuzu as she laughed expecting a smirk from Yuya, but to no avail." (He still can't smile outside of Dueling yet...)

"Let's head back." Yuya brimmed with confidence about the next match.

"Okay."

That was amazing. I finished this chapter in just a day. LOL I swear, I almost called this chapter We are the Crystal Gems, but I'm thinking, that's the wrong show. If you're wondering about Yuzu's face-down, it was Melodious Illusion, a Trap that protects Melodious monsters from Spell/Trap effects. Also the reason Yuzu didn't shove Yuya is because she already did in an earlier chapter, so I decided to have her nearly fall a second time. Just a little something special for the shippers. Next time, Noboru vs Yaiba.


	10. Collision of Steel

After the insanity of the last two matches, this one should be a lot more exciting. Also to answer Tobias97's question, yes, I might introduce Serena/Selena earlier than her official debut, but I don't think she'll be as twisted as Yuri. It'll be fun and challenging because I'm always thinking of how I want to portray these two. Rin and Yugo are definitely together, and from the way Yuto protected Yuzu, we can pretty much guess he's seeing Ruri.

 **Chapter Ten: Collision of Steel**

"Okay, so to recap, Yuya won against Hokuto, but Yuzu didn't fare well against Masumi."

"That makes this the deciding game."

"Hey, Gon. I was thinking what kind of deck do you use anyway?"

"My monsters rely mostly on Defense Points, but they can still deal heavy damage."

"Wait, you're not competing, Sora?" asked Ayu.

"The truth of the matter is... I spent a lot if time hanging around LDS before I started here, so I'm assuming if I did play, I'd be at a disadvantage in case someone saw any of my Duels."

"Yeah, good call." Tatsuya answered.

"But doesn't that mean...?" Yuzu was about to say, but...

"No, I haven't seen any of these three Duel, so I wouldn't be able to say anything about them."

"Either way. Gongenzaka, you've got this." Yuya's words struck deep.

"I'll definitely stand my ground out there."

The two remaining participants stepped into the holoprojector room.

"So you're the I'm fighting? You look strong, maybe this won't be uneventful after all. I'll still have my blades make quick work of this match in no time. Out of us, _I'm_ the strongest!" said Yaiba.

"My deck's defenses are unmatched. Let's see you if you can slash your way through! Principal, we're ready!" Noboru declared.

(Let's see. Yaiba carries a kendo stick and Noboru uses a feudal themed deck. That's it.) Okay, here goes. Activating the Field Spell, Sword's Cemetery!"

With that, a barren, night fallen wasteland shrouds them with the blades of a hundred fallen soldiers in the ground.

"Noboru, use the blades from your surroundings and strengthen your offense. Ms. Akaba, this should be the final game. I assume you know what that means."

"I'm fully aware."

"Duelists locked in combat!"

"Kicking up the dust from the ground and taking to the skies!"

"Their monsters storm the Field!"

"The greatest evolution of Dueling has arrived!"

"Action...!"

" **Duel!** " Both players finished.

"I'll go first. I summon Superheavy Samurai Kabuto. (ATK: 1000) I'll end my turn."

"Just one monster with 1000 points? Nothing special or strong about it. My turn! I'll summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight! (ATK: 1900) When Boggart Knight is Normal Summoned, i can Special Summon another Level 4 or lower X-Saber from my hand. I'll Special Summon the Tuner Monster, XX-Saber Fulhelmknight. (ATK:1300)

"I use Kabuto's effect. When a monster is Special Summoned to the opponent's field, it switches to Defense Mode, and gains 500 Defense Points. (DEF: 2500) The one who makes the most unnecessary moves can't do much in the end."

"As good as that move was, I'll just have to play something better. Because I have 2 or more X-Sabers on the field, I can Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll from my hand!" (ATK: 2400)

"Three monsters without so much as batting an eye!"

"What's he gonna do with them?"

"I tune Level 4 Boggart Knight with Level 3 Fulhelmknight! With mighty dual blades, level the mountains before you! Synchro Summon! Level 7! X-Saber Souza!" (ATK: 2500)

"That's a Synchro Monster?"

"By selecting 1 Tuner Monster and at least 1 non-Tuner, one can Synchro Summon a monster whose Level is equal to the added Levels of the Synchro Material Monsters."

"So that's how it works. I guess that means you can't Synchro Summon without a Tuner."

"There's plenty more where that came from! Now I use Faultroll's effect! Once per turn, I can bring back a Level 4 or lower X-Saber from the Graveyard! Ready to tune again, it's XX-Saber Fulhelmknight!" (ATK: 1300)

"He can summon his Tuners back to Synchro Summon multiple times in a turn?"

"That means another...!"

"I tune Level 6 Faultroll with Level 3 Fulhelmknight! Clad in silver armor, crush those that stand against you! Synchro Summon! Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms!"

"Impressive. Two Synchro Monsters in just one turn."

"You haven't moved once. Don't tell me you're stiff in fear, pal."

"The man doesn't let panic get to him. By moving around too much, one can't get very far."

"Rrr. Cut the crap! I'll smash that wall no problem. Gottoms, attack Kabuto! Sharp enough for ya? Souza, attack directly!"

LP 4000-1500

The shock from the direct attack didn't even faze him. Yuya knew his closest friend was built like a wall for a reason.

"After taking 2500 damage..."

"I don't think he budged at all."

"Crazy...! Talk about taking one for the team. Noboru's definitely his father's son! A great future heir to the dojo!"

"I can't believe that didn't work. I'll just put one card face-down, ending my turn."

"My turn!" Gongenzaka eyes his clincher of a topdeck.

(Great. I can even summon it this turn too.) "Because you have 2 or more monsters on the field, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Scales from my hand. (ATK: 800) And when Scales is summoned, I can bring back a Superheavy Samurai from the Graveyard. I choose Superheavy Samurai Kabuto. (ATK:1000) Now for another surprise. I tribute Scales and Kabuto to Tribute Summon Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei! Its effect lets it it go into Defense Mode when summoned." (ATK: 1000 - DEF: 3500)

"Just another wall."

"Big Benkei attacks Gottoms!"

"What the hell?"

"Big Benkei's other effect is that it can attack in Defense Mode...and attack using its Defense Points!"

"Then that means..."

"3500 over 3100. Gottoms is destroyed!"

LP 4000-3600

(All right. The formation is nearly in place.) "I'll end my turn."

"Fine then. My turn. I summon XX-Saber Boggart Knight. (ATK: 1900) And ince it was Normal Summoned, I can summon another monster. I Special Summon XX-Saber Ragigura. (ATK: 200)

"Only 200 points?"

"Ragigura's effect! When summoned, I get any X-Saber from the Graveyard back to my hand. I add Faultroll. Last I checked, three is more than two, so I Special Summon Faultroll! (ATK:2400) Now its effect! I bring back Fulhelmknight! (ATK: 1300)"

"Five monsters... including Faultroll and Fulhelmknight..."

"You mean...?"

"I tune Level 6 Faultroll with Level 3 Fulhelmknight! Synchro Summon! Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms!" (ATK: 3100)

"Hard to believe he had another one, isn't it?"

"Just like how Hokuto had two Pleiades."

"Here I go!" Yaiba takes a swing with his stick, and in the stirred wind he finds a certain edge. "Activating Extreme Sword! With this, one monster gains 1000 Attack Points for this turn's Battle Phase. (ATK: 4100) Gottoms attacks Big Benkei, and I'll also use my Trap Card, Meteorain! For this turn, if my monsters attack a monster in Defense Mode, my monsters can deal piercing damage."

"In that case, I'll just send this card to the Graveyard targeting Big Benkei."

"What does that mean?"

""By sending Superheavy Samurai Soulfire Suit, Big Benkei isn't destroyed but loses 800 Defense Points afterwards." (DEF: 2700)

LP 1500-900

"It's fine. It's still higher than Souza's Attack Points."

Another mighty wind was stirred by the kendo fighter. "Nice. I'm activating another Extreme Sword. Souza gains 1000 Attack Points. (ATK: 3500) Souza attacks! And Meteorain deals 800 in piercing damage!"

It didn't matter. Gongenzaka was sturdy as a boulder, even after taking so much damage.

LP 900-100

"Big Benkei loses another 800 Defense Points and your monster return to their original Attack Points." (DEF: 1900) (ATK: 2500) (ATK:3100)

I may not have been able to break your defenses this time, but I can reduce your resources. On to Main Phase 2. I activate Gottoms' effect! Tributing 1 other X-Saber on the field, I randomly discard a card from our hand. I first tribute Boggart Knight. One more time! Tributing Ragigura, Gottoms discards the last card in our hand. Just to play it safe, I place one card face-down. End turn."

"Don't get so discouraged. I'm the only one who's familiar with his deck. There's a reason he didn't attempt to get that Action Spell."

"A reason?"

"Draw. This monster can be equipped from my hand to a monster on my field. I equip Big Benkei with Superheavy Samurai Soulshield Wall! This will give Big Benkei 1200 Defense Points. (DEF: 3100) Big Benkei attacks Souza!"

LP 3600-3000

"Ya big lug, now ya gone and done it! Activate Gottoms' Emergency Call! If I have an X-Saber on the field, I summon two from the Graveyard! I can bring back Souza and Ragigura. (ATK: 2500) (ATK: 200) And Ragigura adds Faultroll back to my hand."

"Geez, even after all that Souza and Ragigura are back?" Futoshi complained.

"You sure Gon can still win, Yuya?" Sora wondered.

"Sure. I haven't told the secret to his deck yet, have I?"

"Draw. You know what's coming next. Let's welcome back XX-Saber Faultroll. (ATK: 2400) And Faultroll's effect brings back Fulhelmknight. (ATK: 1300) One... more... time! I tune Level 6 Faultroll with Level 3 Fulhelmknight! Synchro Summon! Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms! And now, Souza's effect, tributing Ragigura. Souza attacks Big Benkei. By tributing 1 X-Saber, Souza can destroy any monster it battles instantly. I've done it! I finally struck down your ace in the hole!"

"Soulshield Wall's effect! Sending this equipped card to the Graveyard, and reducing the Defense Points of the equipped monster to 0, I stop your attack."

"You still lose, big fella! Both of my Gottoms can still attack."

"Then I activate Superheavy Samurai Soulbreak Armor from the Graveyard."

"You mean...?"

"It was one of the cards Gottoms discarded. Sometimes, my monsters work their best in the Graveyard, not on the field. Because I don't have Spells or Traps in my Graveyard, I can banish it to deal damage equal to difference between my monster's original and current Defense Points. This is what the Superheavy Samurai deck is made of!"

"I wanted to tell you, but I guess he already did. His deck has no Spells and Traps at all. Superheavy Samurai are a Monster Mash deck."

"Monster Mash? That's why you didn't..." Yaiba couldn't help but laugh. "Action Cards also count as backrow. As impressive as you are giant, but I'm not going down! From my hand, I'm activating the Quick-Play Spell, Saber Reflect! I negate all effect damage and dish it out instead!"

"One last card! I banish Superheavy Samurai Soulbang Cannon! I now negate your effect damage!"

"Another discarded monster?!"

"There's more. Now, all our monsters are destroyed,and we both take damage for the Levels of all monsters destroyed x100."

"Let's see. Both Gottoms are Level 9, Souza is Level 7, and Big Benkei is Level 8..."

"That makes the damage 3300!"

The explosion was too grand for anyone to see anything. Afterwards, both players were completely battered.

LP: 3000/100-0

It was over. No clear winner.

"A draw?"

Yuya was already headed for his friend. "You good?"

"I'll be all right. Just that, I thought I could win this."

"Whaddya mean? That draw was intense. You showed strength even I don't have."

(This isn't good... 1 win, 1 loss, 1 draw.) "It seems were in quite the predicament, Chairwoman."

"It would seem so. However, this isn't over. I suggest one final game. We each use our winning contestants."

"If both sides agree to that, then..."

"Bring it!" Yuya barked. Yuzu and Noboru seems uneasy.

"Hold on." The hooded figure finally emerged, revealing who he was.

"Reiji?" Himika was surprised to see her son at the school.

"I'll face you instead, Yuya Sakaki." The two ace players stared right into each other.

This is going to be so exciting, aside from Yuto, Reiji is my favorite from Arc-V. I think people will like Reiji a bit more the way he's portrayed here. Next time, I'll even list some of the upcoming matches, maybe even make some matches exclusive to the story. Well then, I'll get started on the next few matches. Follow, favorite, review.


	11. The Best and the Brightest

Well, here goes, I can't believe how quickly I finished this one. Not much else to say so let's get into it.

 **Chapter Eleven: The Best and the Brightest**

Himika was both surprised and concerned. "Are you certain, Reiji?"

"I am." He looked over.

"You shouldn't feel pressured going in to this, pal." Gongenzaka felt down about the situation.

"What are you saying? From where I'm standing, he's the one _bringing_ the pressure. Just look." Sora looked up.

Everyone was astonished; not a trace of happiness in Yuya's eyes. They all knew he didn't smile a lot, but for the first time he actually looked angry.

"Know this, I'm definitely going to win!"

"For the record, Yuya, Reiji is the best Duelist in all of LDS." Himika chimed in.

"You're clearly ready, so let's get this over with." Both players entered the room.

"Reiji, huh? I've heard that name before. Let's see here..." Shuzo went through a few Dueling sites and found an article on LDS' supposed star Duelist. "Here he is... Reiji Akaba!"

The younger students aside from Sora seemed terrified by Yuya's unusual lack of composure. Yuzu and Noboru were debating on how he was feeling.

"Why won't he cheer up? I just don't get it..." Yuzu seemed nervous.

"He probably can't because he focused on winning this for everyone. The way this goes, he may not even smile once." Gongenzaka reminded the others.

"When you're ready, Principal Hiragi." said Yuya.

"Okay, Yuya. Here goes..."

The principal's daughter's heart was about to sink. "This final game won't start until you cheer up. You don't wanna do it like this, Yuya. Think about your dad and what you're doing this for!"

No response at first. "Set the field!" he yelled. She felt like she was at a standstill, unable to reach out or do anything until...

(I didn't want to use this field in particular, but if this is the Reiji Akaba, we need you at your best.) "Activating the Field Spell..."

The setting made it look like everyone was in the middle of a performance under the big top.

"Acrobatic Circus!"

"Whoa, a real circus?" Sora lit up.

"This Yuya's signature field. I get it now... That's why Dad chose this. He knows this is must be hard on him so he wanted Yuya to Duel freely in his element."

"Seems like you're ready." said Reiji.

"It feels like you wanted to face me for some time. I'll give you a real groundbreaking show." Yuya knew he was ready as seemed to relax a bit.

"Duelists locked in combat!"

"Kicking up the dust from the ground and taking to the skies!"

"Their monsters storm the Field!"

"The greatest evolution of Dueling has arrived!"

" **Action...Duel!** " Both players finished.

"In return, since you were kind enough to allow us to choose the playing field, you should go first."

"All right, then. I play three Continuous Spell Cards from my hand this turn. First, the Continuous Spell Card, Dark Contract with the Gate. I may take 1000 damage in my next Standby Phase, but once per turn, during my Main Phase, I can add 1 D/D monster to my hand. I choose D/D Cerberus."

"D/D?"

"I've heard rumors about a D/D or 'Different Dimension' deck used by someone in this city. I think Yuya may be in over his head this time."

"Are we just gonna ignore the fact that Reiji's spell will deal 1000 damage on his next turn?"

"Continuous Spell Card number two will be a second Dark Contract with the Gate. I can now add another D/D monster. I add a second D/D Lilith. And now, Continuous Spell Card number three, Dark Contract with the Swamp King. This card will also deal 1000 damage in my next Standby Phase."

"That's quite the risk there, pal." the entertainer seemed shocked.

"Once per turn, I can send monsters from my hand or field to the Graveyard or banish monsters from the Graveyard to summon a Fusion Monster."

"Sora did say they are many ways to summon Fusion Monsters. Guess this one of them."

"I fuse both D/D Lilith in my hand. Maiden of blackest night, stare into your reflection in the swirling light and reemerge in a blaze of glory! Fusion Summon! Level 6! D/D/D Flame King Genghis!" (ATK: 2000)

"A Fusion Monster." Ayu looked ahead.

"Three D's time?" Tatsuya asked

"But at the cost of 3000 points?" Futoshi questioned.

"Hmmm. There aren't any records of Reiji using any advanced methods. And if he was already strong back then, is he even stronger now?"

"I'll place my last two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Here I go. Draw. I'll summon Performapal Whip Snake. (ATK: 1700) I'll use its effect. Once per turn, I can swap the Attack and Defense Points of any monster." (ATK: 1500)

"Now Whip Snake's points are higher." the younger redhead noticed.

"Shivers!" the chubbier kid cheered.

Whip Snake attacks Flame King Genghis!"

"Activate Trap! Dark Contract with the Witch! I take 1000 damage in my next Standby Phase and all Fiend-Type monsters gain 1000 Attack Points." (ATK: 2500)

Yuya hopped around and found what he was looking for. "In that case, I activate High Dive. This gives any monster on my field 1000 Attack Points." (ATK: 2700)

Genghis' blade lifted Reiji up and as he jumped between obstacles, he found an Action Card of his own.

"I activate the Trap Card, Lease Laundering. This sends all my Dark Contracts to the Graveyard. (ATK: 1500) Furthermore, I draw 1 card for every Dark Contract sent to the Graveyard. So I draw four cards. Since my Spell and Trap Zones are cleared, I'll stop your attack with Evasion."

"He just neutralized 4000 damage with just one card?" Noboru realized.

"I knew he wouldn't go down easily." Sora gestured. Yuzu was still nervous and it started affecting those around her.

"You're pretty good. If I was just gonna win that easily, of course it wouldn't be any fun. I set a card. End Phase. High Dive and Whip Snake's effects end here. (ATK: 2000) (ATK: 1700) Your move. You know what, I had you all wrong. You're an okay guy." Yuya stood puzzled. "Something wrong?"

"I was just thinking about your display of kindness from the start of the match. You seem kind, but your emotions appear unstable. You need to be levelheaded on the battlefield, Yuya. Like Yusho."

"Yusho...? You know my dad?"

"What do you think? Of course everyone in town knows your old man."

"The champion who chickened out and whose legacy is about to come crashing down." Yuzu was about to flip her lid when...

" **Insolence! I won't allow low level scum to tarnish the Sakaki name!** " Reiji blew his. Everyone was left frozen in fear except Himika and Yuya.

(Reiji... Whatever you do, just make sure he's someone we can rely on.) his mother pondered.

"Pardon my outburst, Yuya. It is true that your father's disappearance heavily took its toll on a lot of people, even me. It's because of him that Action Duels are as monumental as they are now. He's the one Duelist I respect the most."

"It's nice to know that there are other people who believe Dad didn't just run off. And you're right about the unstable thing. Since he went missing, I can only smile when I Duel." Yuya felt lighter.

"I was coming here hoping to see a Sakaki style performance, I hope you don't disappoint me Yuya. It's no fun if I'm the only one going all out!"

"Then let's see it."

"My turn! I summon the Tuner Monster, D/D Nighthowl." (ATK: 300)

"Tuner Monster?"

"If Nighthowl is Normal Summoned, I can summon a Level 4 or Lower D/D monster in my Graveyard, but its Attack and Defense Points become 0. I bring back one D/D Lilith. (ATK: 100-0) Now I tune Level 4 D/D Lilith with Level 3 D/D Nighthowl! Breeze in the night, become the signal of a new ruler that has gained the speed of gale force winds! Synchro Summon! Level 7! D/D/D Gust King Alexander! (ATK: 2500)"

"This has Fusion **and** Synchro?"

"I'm not finished yet. Genghis' effect! When a different D/D/D monster is Special Summoned, I can summon a D/D monster from the Graveyard! Revive again, D/D Lilith! (ATK: 100) Now Alexander's effect! When a D/D monster is Special Summoned, I summon another D/D monster from my Graveyard! Once more, D/D Lilith!" (ATK: 100)

"Two Level 4 monsters?"

I overlay both Level 4 D/D Lilith! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network! To ravage the lands, send your might into the surging waters! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! D/D/D Wave King Caesar!"

"An Xyz Monster." Sora marveled.

"He's something else. A Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Monster." Gongenzaka seemed uneasy.

"He can use all the advanced methods? There's no doubting it now, he is Reiji Akaba."

"D/D/D means Different Dimension Demons. Prepare for my display of what all three Summoning methods are capable of. Genghis, attack Whip Snake!"

"Activate Hippo Carnival! This gives my field 3 Hippo Tokens and no other monsters can be targeted for attacks." (DEF: 0x3) 3 different colored Vegas style hippos take the field.

"Fine then. Genghis, Alexander, and Caesar each attack one Token. One card face-down. End turn."

"Color me impressed. You can use all the methods. Now I really have to step up my game." Just then, the craziest thing happened; he actually snickered. "You know what, Reiji? You're the only LDS Duelist I like. It's good to know you don't only focus on winning if it hurts other people. You came here hoping for a Sakaki style Dueling performance and it's about to happen!"

That was fast! Also, the reason I'm using 2 Lilith instead of Cerberus is that Cerberus later in the show becomes a Pendulum Monster. After the end this match, should I do Yuya vs Shuzo or skip to Yuya vs Mieru? And I had Alexander move only once because that effect only lasted for one episode. More coming soon.


	12. Shocking Development

This will be possibly the most explosive one so far. Definitely different from what originally happened. So with nothing more, let's dive in.

 **Chapter Twelve: Shocking Development**

Yuya was finally back in the spring of things, determined to make the best of what he learned from his dad. Not only did he want everyone to enjoy this, but he also didn't want to let Reiji down.

"My turn. The fun starts now!"

Just hearing his catchphrase made all the tension in the room vanish. Emotional pain was eased and excitement took its place.

"He's..."

"Took him long enough."

"Ha. Just the card I needed. Ladies and gentlemen! Sorry for the delay! Now that all my performers are in hand, the show's about to start! I use Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician to set the Pendulum Scale! With this, I can summon monsters between Level 2 and 7 at the same time. Swing, pendulum! Bring forth the arc of light! Pendulum Summon! Come on out, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon... (ATK: 2500) and my newest monster, Performapal Fire Mufflerlion!" (ATK: 800)

"With Odd-Eyes, he can win this!"

"I think this is the happiest we've seen him in some time. Everything Reiji told him must have meant something to him."

"Yuya, as principal of you father's school, I'm countin' on ya, kiddo."

For this spectacular turn, I declare three attacks only by displaying both the majesty and ferocity of my Ace Monster, but first, I'll use Whip snake's effect. I swap Caesar's Attack and Defense Points. (ATK: 1200) And now, _my_ high dive."

With that, he jumped off the platform like a diving board. And a few seconds after he picked up something extra, he stuck the landing.

"Odd-Eyes attacks Flame King Genghis! With luminescent flames, go all out in a blaze of glory! Fiery Spiral Burst! When Odd-Eyes, attacks a Level 5 or higher monster, the damage is double! Reaction Force!"

LP 4000-3000

"Now for Fire Mufflerlion's effect! When a Pendulum Monster on my field destroys an opponent's monster, it gains 200 Attack Points and can attack again. (ATK: 2700) Now Odd-Eyes, let's jump through that flaming ring!"

Odd-Eyes made a leap of its own through the ring and became coated in shimmer flames.

"It feels like a real big top performance, doesn't it?"

"At this rate, they'll surely call him the Pendulum Tamer."

"Odd-Eyes attacks Gust King Alexander!"

LP: 3000-2600

"And now, for that declared third attack. Activating Wonder Chance. Now a monster I choose can attack again. Odd-Eyes, attack Wave King Caesar!"

At that moment, one of Caesar's materials disappeared.

LP: 2600-1300

"Can you believe it? He dealt 2700 damage in one turn." said Tatsuya

"This is the Yuya we needed to see, the one I tried to reach out to but couldn't." Yuzu felt lighter.

"But your dad did." Sora added.

"I can't compete with him yet." Tatsuya complained.

"What do you mean?"

"If I'm ever going to be Yuya's protege, I need to get a lot better."

"You know, that last match really left me thinking. I wonder if it would have been different if I took part. I wanna get better too, and if you're aiming to be Yuya's successor I'll definitely give you a hand."

"Ever since I came here, all I've wanted was to face him. Think we can help out the others?"

"I don't see why not."

"Thank you, thank you. That went well if I do say so myself. Whip Snake and Fire Mufflerlion can't attack this turn. And with that, the Battle Phase ends therefore Fire Mufflerlion's effect ends." (ATK:2500)

Just then, something looked seemingly visible in the clearing smoke. It seemed that the three monsters made a special reappearance.

"How is that possible?"

"It was due to Caesar's effect. Using 1 material, all Fiend-Type monsters that were destroyed return at the end of the Battle Phase. Risk and benefit go hand in hand. If any of the revived monsters remain on my field on the Standby Phase of my upcoming turn, I take 1000 damage for each one."

"So wait, he revived three monsters and only has 1300 points left..."

"I bet he already has a way to avoid all that damage."

"Activating D/D/D Human Resources. With this, I can return 3 D/D or D/D/D monsters on the field to the Deck and add two other D/D monsters to my hand."

"There's something I don't like, and its got to do with those two monsters he added."

"One card face-down. End turn. That was better than I thought. You just keep the surprises coming."

"You've shown me quite a bit of what Yusho taught you. Even few of the possibilities of Pendulum Summon... but now the tables will turn again. While it is true you are the pioneer of Pendulum Summon just as he was the pioneer of Action Duels, are you ready to face others who will eventually have the strength you possess?"

"Others with Pendulum Monsters? How come I haven't met any?"

"LDS has been interested in your Pendulum Monsters for some time. I was hoping to learn more about them. Seems I wasn't disappointed. My turn. I use Scale 1 D/D Savant Galilei and Scale 10 D/D Savant Kepler..."

"Are those...?!"

"That can't be!"

"But it is..."

"... to set the Pendulum Scale!" Reiji's own Scale was then set 1 and 10.

"I can summon monsters between Level 2 and 9 at the same time! Grand royal power, draw out amazing light and cast out the inner darkness! Pendulum Summon! Rise, my three monsters!" A giant purple stream shot down from the Scale.

"Transcendent ruler over all kings in triplicate! D/D/D Doom King Armageddon!" (ATK: 3000x3)

"Talk about a total shock. You can Pendulum Summon like me." Yuya stood in amazement.

"My first Armageddon attacks Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

LP: 4000-3500

"Destroyed Pendulum Monsters are sent face-up to the Extra Deck."

"Fascinating. My second Armageddon attacks Whip Snake."

LP: 3500-2200

"And now, my third Armageddon attacks Fire Mufflerlion!" It looked like it was curtains for the entertainer.

"Activate Miracle! I only take half the damage and Fire Mufflerlion isn't destroyed."

LP: 2200-1100

"One card face-down. Your turn."

"Tell me, Reiji. How did you get Pendulum Monsters?"

"Our LDS researchers watched your exhibition match against Ishjima as well your display against Sawatari. The R&D team was able to create a few Pendulum Monsters for me, but these are just mere prototypes; the first Pendulum Monsters out of the lab."

"At this rate, anyone can use them. That's great! It wouldn't be very fair if it was something only we could do. I've made a lot of people cheer during that exhibition match and I think Pendulum Summon will help others do what I can with them."

"Do you still wish to continue?"

"Ha. Why stop now? Draw. Okay, one more time. Pendulum Summon! Here come two monsters! From the Extra Deck, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! (ATK: 2500) And from the hand, Performapal Partnaga! (ATK: 500) Partnaga's effect. I choose 1 monster and it gains 300 Attack Points for each Performapal on the field. I select Odd-Eyes. (ATK: 3100) And now, Odd-Eyes attacks Doom King Armageddon! Fiery Spiral Burst! Since Armageddon is Level 8, Odd-Eyes doubles the damage."

LP: 1300-1100

"Doom King Armageddon's effect! Once per turn, when a monster is destroyed by battle or effect, it gains the destroyed monster's Attack Points." (ATK: 6000x2)

"I knew Yuya would have a hard time, but it seems impossible for him now." Sora trembled.

"I'll end my turn."

"End Phase, my remaining Armageddons revert to their original points. (ATK: 3000x2) Draw."

Just then, Reiji's Pendulum Scale began reacting abnormally; the numbers began changing at it seemed a static surge surrounded all of his Pendulum Monsters. It was then that the Armageddons left the field unexpectedly.

"What's happening?"

"Like I stated, Yuya, these are mere prototypes. I knew they would be unstable. It seems I have more to learn about these new cards and what lies beyond the Pendulum."

"Beyond the Pendulum?"

"What's that?" Himika turned to Nikijima. "Okay. Reiji, you have a visitor waiting for you. It seems rtrher urgent."

"Okay." He then turns to Yuya. "Something important's come up, I must take my leave."

"Wait, what happens now?" Yuya frantically asked.

"I'll make sure nothing bad happens to this school. That's the least I can do out of respect for a great man. I'm hoping the Pendulum Decks I'm working on will be done in time for the big tournament. Once my Pendulum Cards have been perfected like yours and we both discover what lies ahead, let's Duel again, Yuya."

What a chapter. There are now two questions I'd like to ask about what happens next. Should Yuya face Shuzo next or do I skip ahead to his match with Mieru? As for Reiji's urgent visitor, who would you like to have it be? Personally, I'm thinking either Kurosaki or Yuto, maybe even Serena. Let me know your thoughts, review, fav and follow for more.


	13. Update

This isn't going to be much of a chapter, just an update and a chance to get a few readers' opinions. I'm considering using card names from the manga and some only in the actual game. If Yuya were to use the Odd-Eyes, Magician and Performapal support from the game and manga, should he get the best ones moderately before and during the tournament or while in the Synchro Dimension?

The Odd-Eyes monsters I'm considering adding are Mirage and Persona from the manga with Vortex, Meteorburst and Absolute. The only added Magician would be Nobledragon since it's a tuner. Now for the hard part; there are so many Performapals. The ones I'm considering are Uni & Corn from the manga, Skullcrobat Joker, King Bear, Sleight Hand Magician, Gold Fang and Handsome Liger. But if you think using manga cards in the anime world isn't good, be sure to tell me.

I would like to see if I can make good use of Yuto's unused Trap Cards. For the sake of the anime, I won't use Yugo's Pendulums. But it would be interesting if I can fit a Predaplant Fusion Summon in this for Yuri.

I'm also thinking of adding new exclusive matchups to heat things up. Just the dimensional visitors against automated Duelbots programmed by LDS to help them prepare for the challenges ahead.

Also, for the update as an added bonus, I'll give you a glimpse of what's to come. Reiji enters Shun **and** Serena in the tournament, Yuzu introduces Yuto to everyone except Yuya, and an unexpected pairing that's not between the Bracelet Girls or Dragon Boys.

I think that's everything. Be sure to tell me your thoughts and I'll try to get the next few matches uploaded.


	14. A Step in the Right Direction

After a few suggestions and messages, I'm finally ready to get back into the story. The next few chapters will focus on our inter-dimensional guests. At the same time, the You Show students are making necessary preparations. With that said, let's get started.

 **Chapter Thirteen: A Step in the Right Direction**

Reiji had swiftly returned to Leo Corporation after his somewhat unfinished confrontation with Yuya. He wondered who this urgent visitor of his was going to be. If it weren't for the thoughts he had from his card prototypes being glitching, that would've been the only thing on his mind.

(I wonder if the scientists can fix the glitches in my cards. I'll have to check their progress with the other Pendulum Decks I created later. This guest business has me on edge, though.)

Just then, he heard a voice. "It's been a long time, Reiji Akaba."

He noticed the person but couldn't believe who it was. She had her hair tied and wore mostly red. "It certainly has been quite a few years, Serena."

"I'm surprised you remember what happened back then. I'm sure you don't know why I'm here."

"Okay, I'm guessing you're here to face me because your school considers me a threat?"

"No, I'm here on personal business. Are you familiar with Heartland City?"

"Why ask?"

"It seems two strong Duelists from there are paying this town a visit."

Reiji felt uneasy. (Is it happening are people after all this time finally crossing dimensions?)

"Serena, how would I know where to find these two Duelists?"

"From what I saw, one wears mostly blue with a red scarf, and the other has spikier hair, his scarf is tied to his arm, and his clothes are more tattered than the first one. Quick note, they both use Xyz Monsters."

"Any names?"

"Just one. Shun Kurosaki."

On the other side of town, the visitors from Heartland were regrouping. Shun had found the warehouse where Yuto won his recent match. He noticed Yuto looking rather spaced out.

(Yuzu... Or rather, Ruri. How is it possible? Why is there another girl like you? Wherever Ruri is, I know we'll find her.)

"Yuto?" Shun asked.

"Shun... I'm guessing your search didn't go very well." Yuto seemed uneasy.

"It just feels like were running out of time. Didn't you Duel someone around here?"

"Yeah, I remember he wore some pin that had the letters LDS."

"Think we can find that school? Maybe it could have some answers for us."

"It's definitely worth a try." the tattered teen perked up.

Back to the situation at LDS with Reiji, he wondered how to lure Kurosaki.

"Do you think we should just go out and find them?"

"Not too sure about that. Maybe you can find a way to bring them to you."

"If I see how strong they are, maybe I'll allow them entry in the tournament."

"If they refuse?"

"I'm sure they won't. What about you, Serena? I think you should enter after the three of you go a few rounds against our Duelbots."

"Well, I would like a real challenge. If you convince the Heartland duo to display their strength, I'll gladly compete. I'll see myself out, Reiji. But I'll be back here tomorrow."

"Right then." Reiji felt like his past had come back to haunt him.

(Is this Serena's way of reconnecting with me? Or is this all **his** doing? Either way, I won't allow my father's plans to come to fruition. But first things first.) He made his way to the basement level in hopes that his deck designs were finished.

"Ah, Mr. CEO. Right on time. These new Pendulum Cards are working rather effectively. We ran all the tests; these are genuine Pendulum Monsters."

"Both decks I asked for?"

"Of course."

"One last thing though. I finally got to face Yuya Sakaki in a Duel earlier today and I need you to work the bugs out of my Deck."

"That's no surprise. Don't worry, sir. We'll get right on it."

"Also, I'm expecting more company tomorrow and I need access to the Dueldrone system."

"Ah, shall I add the random deck function?"

"Sounds interesting." A gleam shined from his glasses.

The next day...

Yuzu had felt spaced out, much like Yuto. She decided to find Sora in hopes of getting ready for the upcoming city tournament. She noticed him walking around.

"Sora."

"Hi, Yuzu. What brings you out here?"

"Looking for you, actually. I was hoping you could lend me a hand in..."

"Getting ready for the tournament? Great! I was hoping to find you anyway. I think you should learn to use Fusion Monsters."

"Fusion?"

"It's easy once you get the hang of it. I was on my way to a qualifying match. I'll give you some pointers afterwards."

"Okay."

Things have also been hectic at the Duel School since Sora agreed to help Tatsuya and the others. He knew being Yuya's protege meant everything to Tatsuya, but he had to finish his match of he day first.

"Okay, just like Sora showed us. Ready?" Tatsuya instructed.

"Ready." said Ayu.

"This is what Sora had in mind. When he wanted to work everyone in preparation, I thought he'd be here."

"Sora had to rush off to a qualifying match, but he'll be back soon."

And it was certainly unexpected for Yuya. Since his exhibition, he received word from Nico Smiley that Ishijima has gone overseas. That left Smiley without a Duelist to promote. So he decided to appoint himself Yuya's manager.

"Now, Yuya, just because you got a free pass to the Championship by beating the best of the best, I'm still going to make sure you're ready for this."

"What do you mean?"

"I've arranged for you to meet two random opponents. Your first match will be in a few days."

"All right. And I won't know who they are ahead of time?"

"Exactly."

Yuya wasn't the least bit discouraged. Ever since his match with Reiji, he's welcomed the possibility of running into someone else with Pendulum Monsters. He hadn't heard from Yuzu or even Gongenzaka. He did meet up for a moment with Sora before he had to take off. He was definitely ready. So to pass the time and make sure he was ready, he had a games against the others. Tatsuya was nervous even though he knew these matches weren't official, but he took the opportunity to take that step closer.

Shun and Yuto had run into a bit of trouble; it seems they attracted some unwanted attention. They ended up on the side of Maiami filled with questionable and sketchy players. They're welcomed by a Dueling street gang. Looking around, they tried to find someone who looked like they had information about where they wanted to go.

"What's this? Looks like we got some unwanted company. Lets give 'em a proper welcome."

"From the look of it, I'd say you're gangsters from out of town. You lost or somethin'?"

"What about him?"

"Worth a try. You, yeah, in the back. With the blazer. You look pretty tough."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"We're looking for the Leo Duel School."

"LDS? Do you know what they'd do to you there? The corporate big shot who runs the place is around our age, and the Duelists he allows are all willing to crush all opposition if it means they can win. If you can survive against us, maybe you'll have a chance. Let's just say you'll know when you get there; it's the tallest building in the city."

"I have a feeling you're underestimating how strong _we_ are. Why don't we give a proper demonstration of our own?"

"How about this? Just to make things interesting, let's make it doubles."

"Not a bad idea. What method do you use?"

"We both use Xyz."

Sorry if this chapter was a bit off pace, and for the cliffhanger. I know that in episode 7, Yuto stood outside LDS, but I thought this would make things more exciting. I'm still thinking about the archetypes Shun and Yuto should be up against. If both decks are Synchro, maybe some other Hidden Arsenal archetypes? And if one is Xyz, maybe Hieratics, Bujins or Evilswarms? I want to use three decks that came out during Arc-V for the Dueldrone. (Any set from Duelist Advent to Raging Tempest) I'll take any thoughts into consideration. Next time, Yuto and Shun meet Reiji, Yuzu meets Shun and introduces Yuto while Yuya is out. Maybe I'll finally throw in some FallenAngelshipping fluff.


End file.
